


Umino Iruka and the Wizarding World

by Leicontis



Series: Umino Iruka and the Will of Fire [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Naruto
Genre: Adventure, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 05:02:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15308061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leicontis/pseuds/Leicontis
Summary: "The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world." Some would say that Hogwarts is the wrong place for Umino Iruka, and he's about to find out. With new students, he hopes to light the Will of Fire in this new world. No overpowered ninjas running roughshod over the Potterverse in this fic!Book 0: Iruka is confused.  Where is he, who are these people, what language are they speaking, and why are they wearing robes and waving sticks around?





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Being neither British nor Japanese, it should therefore come as no surprise that I own neither Harry Potter nor Naruto, nor anything from their respective franchises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic (like everything else I'm going to be posting for the foreseeable future) is crossposted from FFnet, where I go by the same username. As of this posting, I'm pretty much brand-new to AO3, so a few teething troubles are to be expected.
> 
> The idea for this fic came from pondering the question: "Could any Naruto character be dropped into the Harry Potter world and have a positive effect without being ridiculously overpowered?" If you're looking for Super!Harry, you won't find him here. I don't want a prohibitive wall of A/N here so I'm putting more information in a longer A/N at the bottom.
> 
> This fic will contain spoilers for most of the Harry Potter series, as well as bits of Naruto.
> 
> Text inside «» is in Japanese.

Jutsu mishaps are a fact of life in any Hidden Village.  While unlikely among experienced shinobi, those with less experience are more accident-prone.  Gather several dozen adolescent students in one place and the likelihood rises to near certainty.  Backlashes, chakra dysfunctions, misfires, and (unintended) explosions are all unpleasantly familiar to anyone that has spent time teaching at a shinobi academy; an accepted hazard of their chosen profession, so to speak.  Usually such mishaps follow consistent patterns:  Students trying to master the same jutsu will usually make similar mistakes.  Thus, their teachers are generally well-prepared to handle the aftermath.  
  
Real trouble comes from the more unusual failures, especially those that come from ambitious students attempting jutsu well beyond their current abilities, or even trying something completely at random.  These attempts can produce truly unpredictable results.  When the attempt (and mishap) in question comes at the hands of the son of history's most unpredictable shinobi, a man well-known for frequently doing things previously believed to be "impossible"...

**Λ**  
**-――――===ͽ <  O  > ͼ===――――-**  
**V**

The screams weren't all that surprising; bad mishaps could get messy, and injured and/or frightened children are prone to screaming.  Even in his disoriented state, Iruka snapped into action, pulling supplies from the large first-aid kit he was carrying in case of training mishaps (like this one) and moving to the obvious casualty in front of him.  Even without knowing medical jutsu, he'd taken the advanced classes instituted by Tsunade-sama to make sure even non-medics could stabilize their wounded comrades until more extensive aid could be reached.  
  
The teacher began assessing his patient's injuries: burns, shrapnel wounds, blunt trauma, concussive injury, chakra depletion - wait, no... The chakra levels were low, but none of the usual signs accompanying chakra depletion were present.  How did a civilian manage to get hit in a training mishap?  It was only then that Iruka's mind finally registered his surroundings.  Instead of being outdoors in a training field adjoining the Academy, he was in an unfamiliar room whose construction and decoration was of a style he'd never seen before (though the scorch marks, blood spatter, and other damage were probably a recent addition).  Far from being a ten-year-old aspiring shinobi, the casualty was a civilian woman, late 20s or early 30s, with pale skin and long silver-blond hair, reminiscent of a Yamanaka.  The only other person present was a girl of similar age to the students Iruka had been working with, though she too was unfamiliar, whose features suggested a close relation to the woman.  It was from this girl, now standing in clear shock and confusion, that the screams had issued.  
  
Pushing aside the obvious questions about where in the Sage's name he was and how he'd gotten there (though the answer to the latter likely included the name "Uzumaki"), Iruka frantically began bandaging the woman's shrapnel wounds to try and staunch the bleeding.  The number and severity of the wounds, though, was proving problematic.  He needed more hands, but in his current condition his chakra reserves weren't nearly full enough for a Shadow Clone.  Only one option, then:  "I know you're scared right now," he said to the girl in his best reassuring 'teacher's voice', "but I need your help.  I need you to press this gauze pad here to help stop the bleeding; can you do that for me?"  
  
The girl's only response was a baffled stare, followed by words Iruka couldn't understand, though he assumed they meant something like "what are you saying?".  A language barrier.  Just what he needed.  Pushing down his frustration and worry, he kept his face, tone and body language as calm and reassuring as he could, adding gestures to his instructions as he again asked for her help.  Soon, even despite their trouble communicating, the two were working together to help the woman he could only assume was the girl's mother.  
  
As they worked, Iruka's mind idly examined the pattern of the damage in the room, the woman's injuries, her positioning on his arrival, and the girl's position and condition.  It was clear that there'd been some kind of small explosion, a fraction of the power of a standard explosive tag, but made just as dangerous by the woman's proximity and the generation of shrapnel.  Also apparent was that there had been at least a moment's warning, and that the woman had moved to shield her daughter, likely worsening her own injuries as a result.  This assessment only strengthened Iruka's resolve to make sure the woman survived.  
  
Finally, after several fraught minutes filled with bandaging, pressing, checking, and the occasional suture, Iruka and the girl were able to sit back and catch their breath, their patient reasonably stable for at least the present.  After sitting and staring at her mother in shock for several moments, the girl started, and dashed to a wrought-iron spiral staircase at the center of the circular room.  Iruka hurriedly followed down the stairs into a large circular eat-in kitchen, to find her standing before a hearth of rather impressive size in the neighboring room.  To Iruka's confusion, she reached into a vase on an end table nearby, throwing a handful of some sort of powder into the hearth, which promptly lit with green fire!  Confusion turned to alarm as the girl moved not away from the strange blaze, but towards it.  Iruka dashed over and grabbed her before she could burn herself, causing the girl to shriek in alarm and try fruitlessly to pull away.  
  
Upon realizing who held her, the girl immediately began speaking rapid-fire in her language, and gesturing towards the now-dying green flames.  Surprisingly, her tone wasn't that of panicked babble, but of confident urgency and command.  Curious, Iruka reached tentatively towards the diminishing flames and was surprised to feel that no heat radiated from them.  Reassured, if still confused, he released the girl, allowing her to throw another handful of the unassuming powder into the hearth, causing the green flames to flare back up.  
  
To his dying day, Iruka would never admit to the words he used in front of a child when he saw said child shout something then stick her head into the green fire.  While she bent before the flames, her head and neck seemed to blur and fade, as if they weren't entirely there, though she showed no ill effects from this, nor any sign of burning.  After a few moments of muffled conversation with an adult male voice, the girl stood and stepped back, gently urging Iruka away from the hearth at the same time.  The reason for this was soon made clear, as the green flames flared higher than ever as the most bizarrely-dressed man he had ever seen (and between Naruto and the YOUTHful lineage that was saying something) seemed to appear spinning within the flames before stepping out as they died out behind him.  
  
The new arrival was tall and lanky, with stringy blond hair and garments of an unfamiliar cut in a truly eye-watering medley of colors.  Sparing a brief glance towards Iruka (obviously to asses whether he posed a threat), the man turned to the girl and spoke gently but urgently to her.  She replied and pointed to the stairs, turning the man's worried expression to one of alarm and concern.  He rushed to upstairs to the woman's side, pulling a polished wooden stick from his clothes (tool? weapon?) and proceeded to wave it in precise patterns over the woman, while muttering words that sounded like yet another unfamiliar language.  To Iruka's surprise, this resulted in a number of colored lights, both from the stick to the woman's body, and appearing around her with color variations around her injuries - whatever that stick was, it was clearly a tool for these diagnostic jutsu, with the movements presumably taking the place of hand seals.  
  
Before Iruka could further ponder what he was seeing, the man rushed back to the hearth, throwing in more of the green powder, before doing as the girl (his daughter perhaps?) had and sticking his head into the flames, shouting urgently to whomever he was trying to contact, before withdrawing.  Soon the flames flared up again and emitted three new arrivals, all of whom were dressed in similar pale-green uniforms and wore the familiar confident focus of medics responding to an emergency.  Within moments, they too were waving sticks over the woman, pouring phials of medicine into her mouth, and examining Iruka and his young helper's work.  Throughout this, the girl clung to her father, who wrapped his arms around her as both tensely watched the medics and their patient.  Iruka simply stood and observed, ready to help anywhere he could and uncertain of what else to do in the strange environment.  
  
Once the initial frenzy of activity calmed, Iruka relaxed and one of the three medics (a petite woman with an athletic build and short-cropped sandy hair) stood and approached Iruka and the father-daughter pair.  In a gentle voice, she asked several questions, most of which were answered by the father; his daughter's surge of confidence had receded now that adults had taken command, and she gave only short answers in a tone of distracted timidity.  At her prompting, the father and daughter released each other and stepped apart, allowing the medic to perform another diagnostic jutsu, this time on the girl, the results of which clearly satisfied the medic.  She handed the girl another medicine phial, which was shyly taken and soon consumed.  It was apparently a sedative of some type, as the girl relaxed within seconds before her eyelids began to droop and she rapidly fell into an emotionally-exhausted sleep as her father scooped her up into his arms.  This seemed to be the cue for the medic to turn her questioning to Iruka, who tensed slightly as the strange stick was suddenly pointed near him (but not at him, he noticed, similar to a weapon held ready but not aimed).  «I'm sorry,» he replied, «but I'm afraid I don't speak your language, and I suspect you can't understand mine.»  
  
«Fortunately, even if she can't, I can.»  The father had laid his daughter on a couch and covered her with a light blanket, and was now sitting in an adjacent armchair.  After a brief bit of the local language directed at the medic, he continued, «I've traveled rather extensively, and one of my longer expeditions had me living in Kyoto for several months.  Relying on a phrasebook or paying an interpreter for that long would have been less than practical, so I did my best to pick up Japanese.»  
  
«Travelogues aside,» he continued while gazing both at his wife and at something far in the distance beyond her, «Healer Haff said that were it not for your efforts, my wife likely would not have survived, and so on behalf of all of my family I offer my most sincere thanks.  Incidentally, she wants your permission to perform a diagnostic scan to check you for any injuries or other damage.»  Iruka nodded to the 'Healer', who performed another set of diagnostics before pulling out another phial of medicine and holding it out and speaking further.  «She says you show signs of a mild concussion, which is what the potion is for, and a number of minor bruises and moderate fatigue.  Her prescription is to drink the potion, rest, and let the bruises heal naturally, taking no further potions for at least three days to avoid unpleasant interactions.  My advice would be to drink your potion and begin your resting by having a seat,» the man finished, indicating another armchair.  
  
Iruka sat as he was bid, glad for the rest after such chaos, the beginning of which he was going to need some quiet time to piece together at some point.  He looked at the 'potion', seeing it was viscous and pale blue, contained in a handmade glass phial with a cork stopper - a somewhat archaic container, but given the use of terms like 'potion' and 'magic', these people might not have access to more modern technologies and jutsu knowledge, even if their own style of jutsu were clearly well-developed on their own.  The important question was, could he trust this phial of an unknown substance, given by a strange foreigner using strange jutsu in a strange place?  While both of the adults looking at him were clearly suspicious of him, he hadn't exactly arrived in the best of circumstances, so a lack of suspicion would have been more worrying.  Regardless, the whole situation made no logical sense as anything but a surprise to these people:  Iruka could think of no plausible scenario that would paint those presently around him as default hostiles.  If they wanted to poison or drug him, there had been and would be far safer and easier opportunities to do so.  Thinking this, he uncorked the phial and, while the contents smelled unpleasant, they didn't smell like any poison he knew, so he shrugged and drank his medicine.  
  
The 'potion' was certainly not pleasantly-flavored, worse than field rations but at least better than Sakura's custom-made pills.  Some of the grogginess Iruka had been feeling since the incident began to clear almost immediately, making him wonder about whether these medicines could be brought back to Konoha, as that kind of rapid curative could be potentially life-saving on the battlefield.  Glancing back at his host and the medic, he could see the former scrutinizing him intently, while the latter just looked exasperated and somewhat bemused.  
  
«Now that that's out of the way,» the father began, «Healer Haff's other question is one that I share:  What can you tell us about what happened here?  I would also add a related one of my own.»  A civilian might have missed the man surreptitiously bringing his stick into a ready position.  «Why were you in my house?»

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Iruka just saved Pandora Lovegood. Luna is by far my favorite Harry Potter character, and since I wanted Iruka to arrive a while before Harry starts Hogwarts anyway, Pandora's accident seemed like a good place to start.
> 
> So, about this fic: This is going to be a long one, folks, though you may have guessed that from the "Book 0" at the top. My current plan is to update the currently-ongoing fic on a fortnightly basis, though I'm putting up the rest of the content already posted on FFnet as part of the initial posting. If that update schedule changes, I'll note it in the chapter posted before the change and edit this A/N as well. On that heading, it will likely be at least a couple of years before I get through everything I have planned, though I intend to step up my release schedule significantly once I've finished the final chapter. For now, I'm keeping one year's worth of buffer to start with, in case of incapacity, writer's block, or Nargles.
> 
> I intend this to be effectively a single-point-of-divergence AU. That said, a few things may be slightly different from how JKR portrayed them; this will generally be me doing my best to make sure everything makes sense. An unfortunate side-effect of transitioning a story from children's lit through to something more grown-up is that elements that were originally fun, whimsical silliness turn into plot holes. A not inconsiderable amount of my effort in writing this story has been filling those holes without diverging unnecessarily from canon.
> 
> Iruka will not be a combat powerhouse in this story. He'll be easily capable of dealing with an average witch or wizard, but the major part of his influence will be through advice and guidance. Harry (and a number of other characters) will have a more involved mentor and advocate, and the Order will eventually benefit from the experience and knowledge of a veteran professional soldier.
> 
> In case my paltry ASCII-Art skills leave you confused, that scene break divider is supposed to be a shuriken between two wands. I'd happily replace it with something better if somebody found a way to create something comparable (i.e. some combination of shuriken/kunai and wand(s)) that worked on AO3 and looked better without being super-tall.
> 
> I'll try to avoid wall-of-text A/N in future chapters, but will occasionally use them to explain important things that I just can't find a place to handle in-story, and to answer questions that seem like they'd be of general interest.
> 
> Many thanks to Akatsuki210 for putting up with me and for beta-reading my work. Also, many thanks to robst and MaiKusakabe for their stories "Harry Crow" and "The Colours of the World", respectively: The former inspired me to try and make everything make good sense (and is also easily the best HP fic I've ever read) and the latter helped inspire some of the structure of this story. Quatermass and his/her many fun crossover stories also provided inspiration. Further thanks go to Sinyk for inspiring my ASCII-Art scene-break dividers, and to White Squirrel for inspiring me to have some form of a table of contents. And, of course, thanks to all of the above and others for writing amazing stories that have provided me with countless hours of enjoyment.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and remember that your reviews can improve the quality of the story! Also, I'm mostly writing this because if I don't, nobody will, so if you like this idea (which is actually my response to a prompt I posted on DZ2's forum) please feel free to write up your own version! Just let me know if you do, so I can read it, right?


	2. Questions and Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Text inside «» is in Japanese.

_«Why were you in my house?»_

Iruka had to give his host credit for his self-control: The man's tone hadn't changed at all from when he had been politely translating the medic's instructions. His eyes, on the other hand, had taken on the intense focus that says 'answer quickly, answer honestly, and give me a reason not to get _very_ angry with you' while he had clearly readied his stick-tool for some purpose that likely wasn't the diagnostic or medical functions Iruka had seen thus far. Now the chuunin just had to hope that what little information he had about his strange arrival would be enough to placate his host, as he really didn't want to have to fight in his current state, especially with at least two civilians helpless nearby and no idea what his potential opponent(s) could do.

«I'm still trying to figure the answers out myself,» began Iruka, keeping his body language as non-threatening as possible. «I was overseeing a training session when one of my students attempted... _something_... and the next thing I knew I was in a strange place with an unfamiliar woman lying injured nearby. My training took over at that point, and thankfully I had an extended first-aid kit on me in case of training accidents. With the help of that girl - your daughter?» The man nodded. «I managed to stop the bleeding and suture some of the more serious cuts.»

«Suture? I'm not familiar with that term.»

«Closing and securing a wound by sewing it shut using sterile thread. It helps keep the wound closed and the edges properly aligned, to speed healing and reduce scarring,» Iruka replied.

«That explains the stitching Healer Haff was describing,» the man nodded. «You talk about having some sort of training that applied in this situation, and yet you didn't cast any healing spells - why not?»

This had Iruka pausing to think. While it may have been done clumsily, likely due to inexperience and/or using a language other than his native tongue, the man seemed to be using a classic information-gathering technique the Academy taught all its students: Get the subject to open up by asking about innocuous topics, then once they're already comfortable answering your questions, pivot to the more sensitive information. It took him a moment to formulate his response. «I've never been properly trained in your method of performing techniques, and medical jutsu of the methods I _am_ familiar with require more fine control than I've been able to manage. Thus, I've only trained in more mundane first-aid methods, with the goal of keeping the injured person from deteriorating or suffering further damage so that they can receive proper treatment from an expert.»

His host's eyebrows rose somewhat at that explanation. «Interesting. I'd be fascinated to discuss the differences in our... methods... later, but we seem to have gotten off-track. You're telling me that your sudden presence in my house is due to a freak accident, which just happens to coincide with my wife suffering some sort of mishap in one of her experiments?»

«To be honest, I can't guarantee that my arrival and her mishap were unrelated. It could well be that whatever sent me here contributed to this incident. If that is the case, I can only reiterate that this was purely accidental and offer my sincerest apologies for my part, however unwitting, in your wife's misfortune. Rest assured that when I find my way home, I will be having _words_ with the student I believe may have caused my inadvertent trespassing.» Iruka maintained eye contact throughout this statement, allowing his sincerity to shine through.

The man held Iruka's gaze for several more seconds before relaxing somewhat and putting away his stick-tool. He spoke briefly to Haff in their own language, before turning back to the chuunin. «I believe you. At worst, your presence here is an unfortunate accident, and perhaps your arrival is only related to my wife's mishap by Fate, or some higher power bringing someone well-prepared to help her at the exact moment she needed that help. Ah - I'm being terribly rude! We've been talking quite a bit and yet completely skipped over introductions! I am Xenophilius Lovegood, (or Lovegood Xenophilius, by the Japanese ordering of names) though you may call me Xeno. My daughter Luna Lovegood and my wife Pandora.» The now-named Xeno (apparently these people put personal names before family) gestured towards his wife and daughter as he named them. «I'll introduce you to them properly when they're awake and feeling better. And you are?»

«Iruka. Umino Iruka, by my ordering. A pleasure to meet you, Xeno-san.» The foreign name felt strange on his tongue as he smiled warmly and held his hand out to his host, who grasped it and firmly with an understandably strained smile of his own. «Perhaps we can continue our conversation later? It looks like the medics are ready to take your wife to the hospital.» Iruka nodded to where Pandora was laying, swathed in bandages, as the medics were packing their supplies back into satchels that appeared far too small to contain so much material. This could possibly be explained by some sort of seals, but what happened next was the real shocker.

With a wave of a stick, Pandora began to float up into the air, coming to hover at approximately waist-height. Iruka had only ever heard of levitation or gravity control in accounts of S-Rank shinobi, like Oonoki, or Tendo Pain. To see it used with such casual ease, and nobody treating it as anything unusual, meant that either these people were somehow much more powerful than their chakra suggested, or their jutsu had very different capabilities from those known in the Elemental Nations. It would appear that Iruka had a great deal to learn as soon as possible.

Xeno stood, then bent to scoop Luna into his arms, still asleep and wrapped in a blanket. «You should probably accompany us to Saint Mungo's, our hospital. Since you're not familiar with our language - English, by the way - I'll ask one of the Healers to accompany you through the Floo to avoid any problems due to mispronunciation.» At this, he turned and called to the medics, one of whom nodded and moved to stand with Iruka, who was by now back on his feet. The group of seven moved once more downstairs and towards the hearth, with Pandora still floating along between two medics, who clearly took great care navigating her down the spiral steps. A handful of powder once again kindled those strange green flames, with Pandora and her escorts being the first to crowd in. Both medics gripped the woman's clothing as one firmly called out the name of their hospital, causing all three to spin and vanish downward, as if they had somehow drilled through the floor. The third medic tugged at Iruka's arm, urged him into the hearth, and called out.

The flames actually felt quite pleasant, almost like a warm breeze. What followed, however, was significantly less pleasant. Iruka was pulled downwards, spinning violently as if caught in some tremendous vortex, and he strongly suspected that the medic's grip was the only thing keeping him from being roughly tossed out at some random point - something he'd rather avoid, as he had done quite enough housebreaking for one day. Looking out through the flames, he saw dozens of other hearths whipping past, each offering him a momentary glimpse of another room and adding to his picture of the strange country he'd been sent to.

The majority of the hearths looked out into domestic locations, though there seemed to be a few shops, a couple of restaurants and/or pubs, and one location Iruka strongly suspected would have drawn patronage from Jiraya-sama based on what the young ladies there were (and weren't) wearing. Taken together, the style of construction and furniture was moderately different from what he typically saw in the Elemental Nations, most notably in the far greater degree of ornamentation and wildly variable and frequently clashing use of color (though he noted that bold shades of blue, yellow, green, or red often dominated the color schemes). Those people he could see (aside from the one establishment) were predominantly dressed in floor-length robes and closed-toed footwear, with what appeared to be cloaks and tall conical hats hung near doorways.

After about fifteen seconds of dizzying travel, Iruka and his escort emerged in another hearth, with the chuunin reflexively using a quick burst of chakra to his feet to avoid pitching forwards from the momentum their journey seemed to have imparted. The two then walked out toward Pandora and the other medics, one of whom was speaking to a middle-aged receptionist. Turning around, Iruka watched as Xeno and Luna appeared as the medics had at his previous location, and noted that the hearth from which they had emerged was one of six lined up side-by-side along that wall. The remaining three walls of the room were mostly lined with chairs and benches, with a couple of breaks for doors and end tables. Even if the decor was different, the layout still said 'waiting room'.

A bit of movement drew Iruka's attention, and he froze in shock. There were a number of portraits on the walls of the waiting room, but that wasn't what startled him. His surprise came from the fact that the subjects of these portraits were all _moving_. Several were napping in their painted chairs, while others were audibly conversing with each other or with patrons. As he watched, a distinguished older woman turned and walked to the edge of her canvas, appearing in that of her neighbor as if she'd just walked into another room. It was so unbelievable that Iruka reflexively disrupted his chakra flow to release any genjutsu on him, but the scene before him remained unchanged. The strangeness and impossibility, it seemed, were going to continue to pile up.

The medics - 'Healers', Iruka reminded himself they were apparently called here - floated Pandora through one of the closer doors, with Xeno, Luna, and Iruka following them down a short corridor before being directed to a smaller waiting area while Pandora was taken into a nearby room for treatment. After several minutes of tense silence, Healer Haff stepped out and spoke briefly with Xeno, before returning to the treatment room. Xeno turned to Iruka, «Pandora's life is in no danger, thanks in part to your timely intervention, and the Healers don't expect any significant lasting damage, though they'll know more when they've finished treating her. Again, thank you for helping her. If not for you...» He trailed off with a distant look in his eyes. While seeming calm, the man held the same fragility Iruka had seen in others and felt in himself when loved ones were seriously injured. The ninja could only nod solemnly, acknowledging Xeno's thanks while respecting his delicate emotional state.

It was another forty minutes of waiting and anxiety before Healer Haff returned. One didn't need to speak the local language to know that the news she delivered was good, as an immense weight seemed to fall away from Xeno and some light had returned to his eyes when he turned to Iruka. «There will be some minor scarring, but Pandora will make a full recovery. The Healers are keeping her asleep for now, to let her body rest and heal, but they'll be lifting the charms in a couple of days, after which she should wake on her own when she's ready.» Xeno's smile of joy and relief was soon mirrored by Iruka's. «I find myself once again thanking you for your timely aid. It seems only right to offer you my assistance in return: Assuming Luna doesn't object, nor Pandora when she wakes, I'll put you up and help you arrange for passage home.»

«Even just helping me find my way home would be wonderful, but you don't owe me anything. I could hardly just stand by in that situation and do nothing.» Iruka's gaze turned to the sleeping Luna. «I was around your daughter's age when I lost both my parents, and I've taught quite a few orphans. That life is not something I would wish on anyone.»

«Well then,» here Xeno's smile turned wry, «by your own logic I simply must help you! After all, I myself have found myself floundering around in a foreign land without speaking their language, so why not save someone else that trouble?» The blond man's eyes sparkled with mirth.

Chuckling, Iruka shook his head, while he raised his estimate of his strangely-dressed translator's intelligence. «Okay, okay, you win.» At this point, he heard steady footsteps approaching down the corridor, so he decided to hold off on further conversation for the moment.

The man that stepped into the room a few seconds later was probably a few years older than Iruka, with hints of grey in his close-cropped black hair. He wasn't particularly tall, and had a build that Iruka associated with members of the Akimichi clan - heavyset, but moving in a way that spoke of muscle underlying the fat - with an unremarkable clean-shaven face and eyes that gave the room a practiced once-over as he reached the door. This reaction, along with garments that appeared to be a uniform complete with insignia, indicated an experienced soldier or law-enforcement officer. Given his status as an undocumented foreigner arriving under suspicious circumstances, Iruka could see either being the case. Since the man was alone, he was more likely to be law enforcement, and unlikely to be here to make an arrest (though if he _was_ here to arrest Iruka, the chuunin was ready to consider it an insult to his character and skills).

"Xenophilius Lovegood?" The man asked Xeno, who nodded. Another question produced another nod, before the man turned to Iruka. "Umino Iruka?" Iruka nodded in confirmation. «Auror Joseph Proudfoot. I've been sent to interview witnesses to today's incident and discuss our preliminary findings with Lovegood-san.» Proudfoot's accent was thicker than Xeno's, but still understandable. «Ordinarily we'd have sent someone from the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, but I'm the only one in the department that speaks Japanese,» he said with a shrug and a 'what can you do?' expression on his face.

Proudfoot turned back to Xeno and the two spoke briefly in English, before Xeno gently woke his daughter, his voice soft and reassuring in tone. Luna grabbed her father in a fierce, needy hug for at least a minute, then released him and dashed over to Iruka to give him a hug as well, speaking what were likely profuse thanks in rapid English. Iruka, meanwhile, gave the standard male response to baffling speech by a female - smile and nod. This seemed to satisfy the girl, and she soon returned to her father's side and turned back to Proudfoot.

Proudfoot smiled kindly and sat in the chair next to Luna, pulling a roll of parchment and a quill pen out of his long open-fronted robe. Iruka was again astonished as both items floated into a position beside man and child, the quill's nib coming to hover just above the top of the parchment. The man spoke briefly in an authoritative voice (with his and Luna's names being the only parts Iruka understood), before engaging Luna in a long conversation. Iruka simply watched, as did Xeno, for the fifteen minutes the interview lasted, while the quill scratched away on the parchment, somehow writing its unfamiliar script despite lacking any apparent source of ink, presumably transcribing what was being said.

Once Luna's interview was finished and she had once again curled up in her father's lap, Proudfoot turned to Iruka, putting away the roll of parchment and bringing forth two more, along with a small (and very old-looking) calligraphy brush and a brass clip, the latter of which he attached to the quill. These writing materials were set hovering beside the officer(?) and chuunin, and Proudfoot began: «Auror Joseph Proudfoot, interviewing witness Umino Iruka regarding the events of 27th March 1990 at the Rook, Ottery St. Catchpole, residence of the Lovegood family. Interview conducted in the waiting area of the Emergency ward of Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, 5:35, PM 27 March 1990. Interview begins: Please state your name, occupation, and place of residence.»

«Umino Iruka, teacher, citizen of Hi no Kuni, resident of Konohagakure no Sato.»

Proudfoot looked confused for a moment, but pressed on. «Please explain, in your own words, how you came to be in the Lovegood residence, and the actions you took as a result.»

Having had more time to process the day's events, Iruka was able to answer more completely now than he had when Xeno questioned him. «We had the students in the school's training field, doing basic jutsu training, when a student whom I cannot name without parental permission attempted something other than the jutsu being taught. I didn't recognize the jutsu he was attempting, and suspect it may have even been an experiment. Regardless, his attempt caused a serious mishap of a type I've never even heard of before: I felt a strange pulling from behind my navel, then found myself spun violently while moving at tremendous speed, with the directions of both spin and movement changing erratically. There were impacts of some sort, flashes of heat, cold, light, darkness, and other sensations that are difficult to categorize. When it finally stopped, after a period of perhaps fifteen to twenty seconds, I was in the Lovegood home. Luna-san was screaming, which managed to cut through my disorientation enough to recognize that Pandora-san was seriously injured. I am trained in emergency first aid, and had a well-stocked kit in my possession in case any of my students were injured during training, so I immediately moved to render assistance to Pandora-san.» From there, Iruka continued to recount the afternoon's events until the Healers' arrival, at which point Proudfoot indicated he could stop.

«Thank you for your cooperation, Umino-san. Interview ends.» At this the man reached out and began reclaiming his writing supplies. Iruka noted that the calligraphy brush had written his words in kanji, albeit somewhat clumsily, while the quill had written more of the unfamiliar characters. Proudfoot then spoke to Xeno for a couple minutes, before nodding to all present and departing.

A polite cough from Xeno drew Iruka's attention. «I spoke with Luna during your interview, and with her agreement I would like to offer you a place to stay while you find your feet in this country. Given the fact that you landed here unexpectedly, I suspect you don't have much money on you, and what you do have is likely not in local currencies. Add in culture shock and a language barrier, and you've got significant obstacles to overcome before you can claim to be reasonably self-sufficient, especially if you're not trained in magic.»

As much as Iruka's pride (and decades of ingrained shinobi paranoia) rebelled at the thought of being so dependent on a near-stranger, he knew that Xeno's logic was sound. If he tried to make it on his own, he'd likely be sleeping in an alleyway and resorting to petty crime to obtain even basic necessities - not a situation conducive to doing research, even if you don't end up arrested or dead. He stood and bowed formally. «Thank you for your hospitality, Xeno-san, though I insist that you keep a record of any expenditures on my behalf so that I can pay you back you once I'm able to obtain adequate funds myself.»

Xeno's grin only grew, «Splendid! The investigators from the Ministry should be done and gone in another hour, so let's get some dinner here then head back to the Rook and get you settled in. I must confess to an ulterior motive regarding dinner, though,» he whispered with a wink, «Pandora is such a delightful cook that I haven't really taken the time to learn more than simple basics.»

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regarding Japanese terms vs. English terms, I'll probably be using them somewhat interchangeably. It will generally depend upon what flows the best while being most understandable.
> 
> Both Healer Haff and Auror Proudfoot are based at least in part upon friends of mine - she is a medical professional (and has been dedicated to helping others for as long as I've known her) and he's a half-Japanese multiple-black-belt who, while looking a little chubby, I've seen doing handstand pushups. On those few occasions where I make use of an OC, or where I use a canon character that's not actually described or fleshed out in the books/movies, I'll tend to vaguely base them on people I know.


	3. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Text inside «» is in Japanese.

It was late evening by the time the three returned to the Rook, as Iruka had been told to address it. Xeno had made certain that he could pronounce it well enough to Floo back on his own, following directly behind Luna and with Xeno bringing up the rear to listen for mishaps. Dinner had been pleasant enough, albeit much heavier than typical fare in the Elemental Nations with significantly more meat and grease and less vegetables. Thankfully Xeno had ordered on Iruka's behalf, and what the three of them had eaten was comparatively lighter than some of the other diners' meals. There were also no chopsticks to be found, but the function of the utensils available was obvious.

Conversation had been minimal and the topics light, mostly Xeno describing the unfamiliar foods being served or pointing out someone he recognized and sharing some bit of trivia about them, even if Iruka couldn't make heads nor tails of much of it. Here too, the people were dressed mostly in robes, with only a handful wearing other garments. Iruka's attire certainly drew its fair share of looks, but many simply shook their heads, particularly those who seemed to recognize his dinner companions.

Xeno stepped from the Rook's kitchen hearth a few seconds after Iruka, and a quick wave of his stick caused the soot on all three of them (and the floor) to disappear. He spoke briefly with Luna, who nodded and headed upstairs after giving her father a quick peck on the cheek. «It's been a long day for her, and I felt it best that she not spend more time looking at reminders of what happened earlier.» Xeno spoke as they walked back upstairs into the damaged room. «Thankfully, the investigators didn't make any more of a mess of things, so it shouldn't be too difficult to put to rights.» Iruka took this opportunity to get a more clear-headed look at the scene of the accident, and saw that the blast damage seemed to be centered at or near where he remembered arriving, near the edge of the room next to a now-shattered window. Xeno waving his stick-tool again had shards of glass flying up into the window's frame, reassembling individual panes as the cracks between them sealed up and disappeared as if they had never existed. More waves began repairing pieces of furniture and decorations and moving them back to their proper places, vanishing the various discarded items used in rendering aid to Pandora, and even cleaning up some of the stains and scorch-marks. Within a couple of minutes, the room had been largely restored, with only some persistent scorch marks and a large blood stain to attest to the violence of Pandora Lovegood's misadventure.

Now that things were more as they should be, Iruka could see that this was a living room, one that gave a strong sense of comfort and welcome. The decorations were a strange mix - garish and gaudy trinkets, items whose aesthetic styles varied so wildly that he suspected they came from the travels Xeno had referenced, simple and tasteful decorations like a small vase of flowers, beautiful and elegant little sculptures of spun glass, and the kind of crude handcrafted artworks produced by young children everywhere (though these clearly showed a marked growth of skill, suggesting that Luna was a budding young artist in the making, and depicted animals like nothing the scholarly chuunin had ever even heard of). Where once lay only bare and battered floorboards at the center of the explosion, there was now a large, complex, and well-worn desk built of dark wood. The worst scorch mark visible in the room marred the desktop beneath the remains of a blotting pad that was clearly beyond repair even with these seemingly-miraculous jutsu. Several books in an adjoining bookshelf likewise still showed scars from the accident, their spines and covers deeply scorched or gouged.

As Iruka was examining the room, Xeno had stepped out of the room briefly, and now returned with a large bottle that gave off a strong acrid smell when he unstoppered it. He poured some of it over the blood stain on the floor, then waved his stick again and set a scrub brush briskly working at the stain. «Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover,» he explained. «The other dirt was easy enough to remove, but blood is magically active, so it's best to use a proper cleaning agent if you want to be certain of success. Doubly so when unknown magic occurred while the blood was still fresh - no telling what could have seeped in,» he scowled briefly, «and there have been enough unexpected magical reactions in this house for quite some time already today.» While Iruka may not have had any knowledge of this 'magic', almost every shinobi knew from long experience just how difficult it could be to remove a set-in blood stain with ordinary washing. Apparently they resisted more extraordinary cleaning methods as well.

While the brush continued its work unsupervised (something that made Iruka somewhat uncomfortable, but he had to trust in his host's abilities until he had more information), Xeno beckoned Iruka back to the kitchen, and bade him take a seat as he went about making tea. Even if the methods and flavor were slightly different, a cup of hot tea in his hands was still a relief - an island of familiarity in an ocean of strangeness. It soothed his frayed nerves after a long, tiring, weird day.

«So, Iruka-san,» Xeno began about halfway through their first cups, «you mentioned being from Hi no Kuni. Where is that located, generally?»

Iruka wondered just how far from home he was. «It's largely along the southern coast of the Elemental Nations, between Kaze no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni, albeit mostly surrounded by smaller countries.»

Xeno's brows furrowed. «None of those terms are places I've heard of. Which island is this on? Which prefecture?»

«Hi no Kuni is part of the mainland, Xeno-san. Mizu no Kuni is the only major country composed of islands.»

«Iruka-san, Japan is entirely composed of islands.»

«I'm afraid I've never heard of 'Japan' before today.»

«It's the only country I know of where this is the dominant language.»

Iruka's mouth opened and closed several times at this, as his brain tried to process the new information and figure out how this could be possible. Perhaps this 'Japan' country was just beyond the Elemental Nations, and thus spoke their language? But then, why wouldn't knowledge of the Elemental Nations have filtered out to wherever this was? It was well within the lifetime of every adult he'd encountered that the Fourth Great Shinobi War took place, and even if Madara's and the Juubi's attacks weren't felt this far away, people tend to notice things like the moon turning into a giant Sharingan and trapping them in an idyllic genjutsu for several minutes. Finally he managed to squeak out, «Do you have any world maps?»

Xeno nodded and waved his stick again, and soon a globe floated its way into the kitchen, bobbing slightly in the air as it came over to the table before settling between the two men. Iruka frowned slightly as he looked at the continents shown, and that frown only deepened as he slowly rotated the globe, searching for any familiar points of reference. After several complete rotations, he could see only two possibilities: Either these people had incredibly detailed and thorough maps that were somehow completely wrong, or this was somehow an entirely different world from the one he knew. Given what he had seen and heard, the latter option seemed far more likely; it didn't look like he was getting home by conventional means.

«Xeno-san, I don't recognize anything on this globe. Unless it was produced by a particularly imaginative cartographer, it may be that the mishap that sent me here was some sort of time-space jutsu. If that's true, returning home won't be as simple as locating my destination and booking passage.»

«Well then, let me amend my previous offer to include helping you learn English and helping you get settled here.» the blonde gave him a warm smile «Your return will likely require an extended period of research, which means you'll need to establish yourself at least for a while. When Pandora is well again, she may be able to help somewhat in your research, particularly since she was trying to develop an improvement or alternative to the Floo, so her experiments may well be connected in some way with your arrival here.»

«That would be a great help, yes, though even with immersion training it will likely take me quite some time to pick up enough English to speak on technical matters.»

«Not necessarily; most of my knowledge of Japanese was acquired in less than a month. There is a potion called the Linguanova Libation that speeds things up a great deal. You know how young children pick up languages far more quickly, easily, and completely than adults?» Iruka nodded. «The Libation temporarily reactivates that faculty, greatly speeding language learning, though the individual's intelligence and aptitude for languages still play a role. Still, the average adult is far more mentally-developed than a young child, and that added intellect means that with immersion and the potion, it rarely takes more than a month or two to become reasonably fluent, especially for a diligent student.»

Finishing his tea, Xeno stood. «And now that it appears we have both finished our current refreshments, I would suggest turning in for the night. No offense, Iruka-san, but you look half dead with fatigue. It has been quite a trying day, and I suspect we will both be better off for getting a good night's sleep. Come, let me show you our guest room.»

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, I know; this will probably be about the shortest chapter in the story, actually. I prefer to break my chapters where the story makes sense, even if that causes a bit of variability in length.


	4. Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Text inside «» is in Japanese.

Every shinobi that bothers to train is quite accustomed to waking up rested but aching. This was so familiar that it took Iruka several moments to register the distinctly unfamiliar room before he remembered the previous day's events and how he came to be in the guest room of the Rook, home of the Lovegood family. Now that his mind was well-rested and not busy with more urgent matters, he considered the fact that he was in a world little like his own, with his prospects of returning home uncertain at best, especially in the immediate future. He knew that at least some of his students and colleagues would be distinctly unhappy about his unwilling absence, and Naruto (he called his favorite student Hokage-sama or Nanadaime-sama only in official circumstances) would likely be frantically trying to find him or at least confirm if he was safe and well. Unfortunately, even sending a message back was beyond his current ability. If he'd ever signed one of the major summoning contracts, there might be options, but his chakra reserves had never been deep enough for summoning to be particularly useful. In any case, he'd have to do his best to find his way back from here while those back in Konoha looked for him by their own methods, and hope that between the two there would _be_ a way back that didn't end with his foot in Suna and his head in Kumo. Space-time ninjutsu, when they went wrong, tended to go _very_ wrong _very messily_ ; Iruka had been extraordinarily lucky on that account.

For now, his priorities would need to revolve around adapting to life in this new world and establishing himself enough to be able to research a way home: Get clothing, toiletries, and other such necessities. Learn the language, the culture, the politics and history, and everything he could of their form of jutsu. Find some form of employment and a place to live that wasn't dependent on the generosity of others. It was a daunting list.

Iruka rose to begin his day; he'd never finish a task without starting on it, after all. Putting on the garments Xeno had loaned him (the two men were close enough to the same size and the robes loose-fitting enough that they fit reasonably well, even if they did restrict his movement more than he would have liked), he took the stairs down to the washroom for his morning ablutions. Rested and refreshed he made his way to the ground floor, marveling at how bright and cheerful the Rook's interior felt in spite of having so few windows. A sharp crack outside the front door drew his attention as he stood in the kitchen, followed shortly by the front door opening to admit Xeno, carrying a paper bag that smelled strongly of fried food. The growl Iruka's stomach gave in response drew a quiet chuckle from his host, who set the bag on the kitchen table, turning towards the stairs. «If you could begin setting the table, I'll see if I can begin the arduous process of waking my daughter. For all the energy Luna has, she is anything but a morning person. Don't be offended if she doesn't register your presence until after breakfast.» It was at this point that Iruka realized that the younger man was still wearing his shoes, and casting his mind back, he recalled both Luna and Pandora wearing shoes when he had arrived the previous day, suggesting that shod feet indoors weren't out of the ordinary in this household.

After indicating which dishes would be required and where they could be found, Xeno headed upstairs. Iruka was just placing the last of the teacups as he returned and set a kettle heating water for tea. While waiting for his tea and his daughter, the younger man began pulling what appeared to be miniature containers of food out of the bag, before tapping each with his stick-tool and causing it to grow to a more reasonable size. A bleary-eyed Luna arrived just as the water finished heating, sporting pink pajamas adorned with horned horses vaguely similar to kirin.

Virtually everything in the breakfast was fried - the eggs, the fish, the thin strips of fatty cured meat, the potatoes, even the tomatoes. Iruka ate at least a little of everything, but kept his portion sizes relatively small; until he could find somewhere to train and keep himself in shape, he'd have to watch his caloric intake or risk ballooning like Mitarashi Anko had in recent years (though judging by the couple of times he'd sparred with her, it hadn't diminished her skills or her sadistic streak). Xeno informed his lodger that he had already placed an order for several doses of Linguanova Libation while he was out getting breakfast, and that it would likely arrive some time in the next few days. For today, they would be traveling to some place called "Diagon Alley" to shop for some clothing and other essentials for Iruka; clearly his mind had taken a similar direction to his guest's this morning.

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**V**

Once everyone was fed and in clothing suitable to leave the house (though it had apparently taken some convincing by Xeno to persuade Luna that her pajamas were _not_ suitable for such), they once again departed by Floo. This time, they emerged into a dark, dingy pub whose patrons did not all look entirely reputable. Even on such a sunny day, very little light was entering through the filthy windows, and the smoky oil lamps that tried to illuminate the room were simply not up to the task. It was then that Iruka realized that he hadn't seen any signs of electricity or combustion engines anywhere; it would seem that this world was significantly behind the Elemental Nations technologically. Perhaps their jutsu largely eliminated the need for such things?

Xeno led his guest and daughter out the back of the pub, into a small alleyway enclosed on all sides by brick walls and occupied by several trash cans. Smiling slightly at Iruka's expression of confusion and moderate distaste, he reached out with his stick and tapped one of the bricks three times. The brick in question shuddered and retreated into the wall, with those around it immediately following suit or pivoting away, creating a rapidly-widening opening in the wall. «Welcome,» he said grinning as a doorway formed, «to Diagon Alley.»

The sight that greeted Iruka as the three stepped through the archway was certainly spectacular: People of all ages bustling about a winding street lined with strange shops, most of whose signs were utterly incomprehensible (though one read «Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C.» and had another stick-tool, a "wand" apparently, on a cushion in the front window). While some of the shops' purpose was discernible (an herbalist, a bookstore), some were confusing or outright nonsensical (if you can clean a room with a wave of your 'wand', why the fancy brooms?).

The street itself was narrow, and paved with cobblestones, but it was the buildings that really drew the eye. Whatever architect(s) had designed them clearly did not believe in right angles, and if any wall was truly vertical it was likely by accident or coincidence rather than by design. Many of the structures were painted in color schemes that clashed utterly with their neighbors, and decoration skewed heavily towards the gaudy and ostentatious. While some of the brass, bronze, silver, copper, and gilded fittings and ornamentation were polished to a shine, there was still an overall sense of slight griminess to many buildings, and all showed clear signs of being decades (if not centuries) old. It was impressive, surreal, whimsical, and just the slightest bit ominous in the overall impression it generated in him.

As Xeno led them towards their first stop, Iruka caught sight of an imposing building of white marble towering over its portion of the Alley. On either side of its large bronze double-doors, dressed in scarlet and gold uniforms, stood a pair of creatures like nothing Iruka had ever seen. Short of stature, but with long fingers, toes, nose, and pointed ears, their dark eyes watched the passing humans with keen intelligence. «Goblins.» His attention snapped back to his host/guide at the unfamiliar word. «Fierce, proud warriors and master silversmiths, they operate Gringotts, the bank for Magical Britain. They're not overly fond of humans, but given the way many humans treat them it's hardly surprising. Our current Minister, Cornelius Fudge, has been especially disrespectful towards goblins, and indeed all non-humans and part-humans, though his Senior Undersecretary makes him look a paragon of tolerance by comparison...» Thus began Iruka's first lesson on the peoples, cultures, and politics of this new world.

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**V**

After several hours of shopping, the trio returned to the Leaky Cauldron (the pub through which they had arrived) for a lunch of sandwiches and fried potatoes. Trying several of the soft (or softer) beverages available, he found butterbeer too sweet for his tastes but gillywater quite refreshing, especially as a complement to the relatively heavy local cuisine.

Aside from toiletries and other miscellaneous items, Iruka had selected a complete wardrobe, with assistance from the store staff and translation by Xeno. With black robes vetoed by his translator («I'll explain back at the Rook»), he'd stuck with a color scheme of mostly earth tones, dark blues, and deep forest greens, with the cut of the garments being a compromise between his desires for quiet unencumbered movement and for an appearance that wouldn't mark him as a blatant outsider. Even if he couldn't understand the muttered words, it had been clear that some of those walking about in finer clothing were not at all fond of those walking around in garments closer to what Iruka was accustomed to. That, combined with what Xeno had told him about the current government and its treatment of other intelligent species, and it painted a picture of a fairly insular society, which meant that he needed to learn to blend in if he wanted to be able to function smoothly in this country.

When Iruka had asked about obtaining a wand for himself, Xeno shook his head. «I would recommend waiting somewhat before that. You would likely find it easiest to work with Ollivander if you didn't need a translator. Also, until you learn to do without them, most spells require incantations which tend to be based on other languages, and trying to learn multiple languages with the Linguanova Libation can complicate matters.» A slight wry smirk appeared on his face as he said more quietly, «It can also attract or worsen Wrackspurt infestations; just look at Bartemius Crouch, one of the more serious cases I've seen.» He resolved to ask his host later about this Crouch, and just what a Wrackspurt was...

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**V**

Upon returning to the Rook, Xeno returned their purchases to their original size, and went to handle several chores and errands around the house while Iruka sorted his new belongings and found places for them in the guest room. That task finished, he sought out his host, finding him with his daughter at the kitchen table surrounded by scraps of parchment and _moving_ photographs. At his polite cough, the younger man started slightly before looking up. «Ah, Iruka, my apologies! I was just getting a little layout work done; I often bring it home to get Luna's input. Her eye for aesthetics is admittedly better than my own, so those editions she helps with tend to come out looking far better. It's a magazine, you see, the Quibbler - wholly owned and operated by yours truly. My circulation is small, but the readers far more discerning than those who rely solely on the Daily Prophet for their news. Anyway, I'm nattering. You had something to ask?»

Iruka had to take a moment to get his brain back into its previous stance after the blast of enthusiasm from Xeno. «Yes, I was hoping there was somewhere nearby where I could exercise a bit, a field or meadow perhaps? A large forest clearing would actually be ideal, since I tend to prefer the quiet and solitude when exercising.» He really wasn't certain how, or even if, his hosts should find out about his abilities. While they were friendly and trustworthy, they were still foreign civilians and a lifetime of shinobi training made secrecy an automatic response.

«I'm certain we can find a good spot nearby; we're on mostly open ground, but it's fairly hilly. Why don't Luna and I accompany you to look for a suitable place? That way we'll be able to find you if we need to, not to mention that Luna and her mother know the land around here better than I do from their walks together.» Xeno turned to speak to his daughter, who promptly lit up with a smile reminiscent of another blonde of Iruka's acquaintance and nodded energetically before grabbing her father's left hand with her right and Iruka's right hand with her left and practically dragging the two out the door to the amusement of both adults.

As they stepped out, Iruka got his first good look at the Rook and the area around it. The home itself was a vaguely cylindrical tower of black stone. The door was of black-painted wood studded with iron nails and with an eagle-shaped iron ornament in the center around eye level. Overall, the severely drab and ominous exterior contrasted wildly with the warm, welcoming, _colorful_ interior. There were sources of color, however, in the gardens around the house. Other than grass, almost none of the plants looked familiar, and some (such as the bush sporting orange fruit floating _above_ its branches) were downright bizarre. Looking around, he found himself at the top of a small but steep hill, and saw that Xeno was quite correct in calling the area hilly. There seemed to be almost no significant chunks of level ground anywhere nearby. The ground itself was slightly rocky, covered predominantly in grass and low scrub, with the occasional tree scattered about. Farther away, he could make out a few isolated structures, one large cluster of buildings that was likely the town center, and several herds of fluffy white livestock being tended by humans and dogs.

Luna pulled her two captives down the winding path to and through a gate in a low garden fence. What followed was a somewhat meandering journey up, down, and around several of the nearby hills that left Xeno puffing for air. Eventually, the trio came to a small glen.

It was, in a word, beautiful. A trickling brook fed into and subsequently drained out of a large pool, perhaps three meters across and two deep, along one side of the glen. Nearby stood a small copse of trees (though to someone raised among the towering forests of Konoha, they barely counted as such), and the low grass was otherwise interrupted only by a few small boulders that ranged from knee- to chest-high. The stiff breeze that had whipped at their clothing much of the trip was more gentle here, and other than Xeno's deep breaths, only the quiet sounds of nature could be heard. In no direction could he see any signs of human activity or habitation, meaning this was likely a near-ideal location to train, at least his fitness and chakra. He'd have to leave the more destructive jutsu training for later and elsewhere, though - this place was much too peaceful to taint with combat practice.

Luna, meanwhile, was skipping happily through the grass, occasionally pausing to twirl about or dance to some imagined tune. It pleased Iruka greatly to see her doing so well after the previous day's events, and he could see his thoughts mirrored in his host's expression. «The resilience of the young.» Xeno's comment drew an agreeing nod from the chuunin. Both men moved to sit on some nearby boulders to relax and watch Luna play, as all three drank in the peace of the small glen in their own ways.

After twenty minutes or so, Luna skipped back over, addressed Iruka by name, and spouted a long stream of English that Xeno chucklingly translated as a verbal tour of all the highlights of the glen, descriptions of several of her walks here with her mother, the games she liked to play here, a number of rather fantastical accounts of creatures she claimed to have interacted with in the area, and some rather clear directions back to the Rook and to other local places of interest (he wasn't sure how much of the clarity was from Luna and how much was from Xeno's translation). Once the verbal deluge subsided, she pulled the two men to their feet and led them to the top of the tallest surrounding hill, where Iruka could clearly see the Rook on its own hilltop about a kilometer away, as well as a decent view of the surrounding countryside. Both Lovegoods then collaborated to point out the homes of several of their 'magical' neighbors, including a bizarrely-built house that clearly used this magic to remain standing and apparently belonged to the family of Luna's closest friend. Said friend was the primary topic of Luna's ongoing narration as the three made their way back to the Rook by a significantly more direct (though, Iruka noted, less scenic) route.

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**V**

Deciding to give Xeno and Luna some time alone as a father and daughter, Iruka returned to the glen at a brisk (but still civilian-speed) jog. Once there, however, he picked his pace up, running laps and increasing his speed somewhat each time he passed the pool until he was sprinting full-tilt. Maintaining his speed for two full laps, he then slowed back to a jog to cool down, and switched over to pushups, situps, and other calisthenics, all done on top of the chilly water of the pool to work his chakra control at the same time. Finally, once virtually every muscle in his body was crying out with exhaustion, he settled into a lotus position on the water and began to meditate. Iruka began to meticulously clear his mind of thought and emotion, painstakingly reviewing his memories of the past twenty-four hours to look for anything he might have missed in the moment and examine everything from an outside perspective. It was an exercise he'd been taught early in his genin career by his jounin-sensei to help him become more mindful and thoughtful and curb his tendency towards rashness that could get him hurt in the field.

The sun was beginning to set by the time Iruka jogged up to the garden gate of the Rook, painting the sky in a spectacular array of colors and adding new dimension to the already lovely view from the hilltop. Opening the front door, he came upon Xeno talking with an unfamiliar woman in the Rook's kitchen.

She was somewhat short, only coming up to Xeno's shoulders, somewhat overweight, and appeared to be around Iruka's age, with slight lines on her face and some minor fading in the color of her otherwise fiery-red curls. Her dress was modest in its cut, with a mildly faded floral pattern and signs of wear and repeated mending that suggested frugality, possibly due to limited finances. Next to her, on the table, was a covered basket from which came the scents of fresh bread and other foods, all of which smelled delightful. Hearing his entrance, she turned, her surprised expression melting into a polite smile with a hint of suspicion and apprehension.

«Ah, Iruka-san!» Xeno called with a jovial smile, «This is Molly Weasley, our nearest neighbor, and the mother of Luna's friend Ginevra that we heard so much about this afternoon. Her husband works for the Ministry and heard about Pandora's accident, and she was kind enough to bring dinner for us!» He then turned back to his latest guest, and given the use of his name Iruka presumed carried out the introduction in the other direction.

Much of Molly's suspicion disappeared at this, and her smile became warmer, though she still seemed to take a moment to look Iruka over with an appraising eye, perhaps judging whether he was some disreputable character taking advantage of the Lovegoods. He wasn't insulted, of course - he'd have wondered the same thing in her place, and that was without accounting for his profession as a shinobi. She stepped closer, dipping in a bow-like gesture and speaking with a somewhat more formal tone, which Xeno translated as her thanks for his aid to Pandora. Seemingly satisfied by Iruka's accepting nod and slight bow in return, she turned back to Xeno. A few more words were exchanged, her expression becoming one of concern and sympathy as she patted his hand gently before acknowledging both men and leaving via the Floo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One reviewer on FFnet asked if I intend this to be a fix-fic. My response is along the lines of: "To a degree." I've long felt that the heroes won in canon by being luckier, more determined, and possibly slightly less incompetent than the villains, but they only barely won and it was at terrible cost. Trouble is, much of that cost and hardship was frankly unnecessary, and was more due to information hoarding and poor planning. Iruka's influence won't fix everything; there will still be dark times and struggles, but things will go at least somewhat better for our heroes than in canon.
> 
> If the pacing here seems a bit slow, my apologies. Unfortunately, dropping Iruka into an entirely foreign world leaves him needing to do a lot of stuff to get settled in, and on the "show, don't tell" rule of thumb I'm trying to do more than just hand-wave most of it. Iruka's first visit to Hogwarts comes in chapter ten, at the end of Book Zero, and the pace of events will pick up noticeably after that.


	5. Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Text inside «» is in Japanese.

After dinner Xeno and Luna did a bit more layout work, with Iruka acting as something of an assistant or gopher while his host occasionally commented on the contents or subjects of the articles, photos, and illustrations. Much of it ranged from the bizarre to the outright nonsensical, though he suspected part of that might be a lack of context. Satisfied with their work for the evening, Luna went off to read by the living room fireplace, while Xeno invited Iruka to play a game called "chess" that was similar enough to shogi that he was able to pick it up reasonably quickly and provide an adequate opponent for a couple of matches. The introduction of the pieces names provided an explanation for the name of the Lovegoods' home, the structure and the playing piece showing obvious similarity. Xeno also mentioned that most wizards tended to prefer a version called "wizard's chess" in which the pieces moved themselves and acted out their defeat of opposing pieces, but that he didn't generally use the set he owned because the brutality, simulated though it was, tended to distress his daughter.

As they played, Xeno continued his guest's crash course regarding his new country of residence, ranging between culture, history, government, lifestyle, geography, wildlife, and other various topics. The meandering nature of the discussion was unconventional, but while Iruka would never use this style in his classroom, neither would he call it ineffective. One topic his host brought up but could not elaborate on was "Muggles" - the majority of this world's humanity who were not only incapable of magic, but ignorant of its very existence, a feat that impressed Iruka considerably. Apparently they had advanced far beyond magicals in their technology, though Xeno confessed ignorance of the details of both that and their culture. This, it would seem, was something Iruka would have to investigate further on his own when the opportunity arose; another entry on his to-do list.

The other major point of interest and concern was the relatively recent insurgency this country had suffered. A self-styled "Dark Lord" whose name Iruka would have to pry from Xeno when Luna wasn't present had, with the help of his followers, attempted a coup against the magical government using predominantly guerrilla and terrorist tactics. Xeno's description of the uniform of those followers, so-called "Death Eaters", explained why he had insisted that Iruka not select plain black robes. Given the obviously dark nature of the subject matter, the chuunin steered the conversation onto happier topics. He could wait until Pandora had recovered and Xeno's mood consequently improved to get more information.

 **Λ**  
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**V**

Iruka's second full day at the Rook passed with a couple hours of training and the rest of his time spent largely helping around the house where he could while learning more about Magical Britain. Once he'd been instructed on the use of the more unconventional features of the kitchen equipment, he'd even made sure to take over cooking so that Xeno wouldn't have to keep going out for food. Thankfully, breakfast was already taken care of by the ample leftovers from the dinner brought over by Molly Weasley, which could have easily fed twice the current population of the Rook. Then again, considering she apparently had seven children, six of them boys, she was probably accustomed to cooking enormous portions. It would also explain the indications of a strained budget, but make her generosity to a neighbor all the more impressive.

By evening, though, both of his hosts were beginning to show subtle signs of stress and a little melancholy. While they were clearly trying to keep their spirits up, Iruka could see the hidden sadness in their smiles; he'd smiled like that a lot in his youth. Pandora's absence was clearly starting to weigh them down, and only her return would make their smiles fully real again.

 **Λ**  
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**V**

During his third breakfast in Britain, Iruka was startled by the sudden appearance of a sleek brown owl flying in through an open kitchen window in broad daylight. He tensed automatically; for shinobi, unexpected events could signal imminent attack. It didn't help that both Lovegoods' attention immediately focused on the owl and the small roll of parchment tied to its left leg. Luna hopped up and filled a saucer with water, also grabbing a small tray full of what appeared to be small bits of jerky. These were placed on the table in front of the owl where it had landed on the back of a chair, while Xeno removed the parchment and unrolled it, tension clear in every line of his body.

The younger man's apprehension melted into clear relief and not a little eagerness as he spoke to Luna, whose reaction mirrored her father's. «They'll be lifting the spells this afternoon,» he addressed Iruka, «and if all goes as expected she should be home by dinner tonight.»

«That's wonderful news, Xeno-san!» Iruka beamed. «I look forward to meeting her under more pleasant circumstances.» He observed, meanwhile, the owl greedily drinking from the dish of water and occasionally swallowing a bit of meat. Apparently they used owls instead of hawks as messenger birds here, which struck him as somewhat odd. After all, owls were often nocturnal, while humans preferred the day, and he recalled a student's report on messenger hawks noting that owls, while far stealthier than hawks, were also significantly less intelligent and thus more difficult to train.

The theory of owls as messengers gained more evidence a few moments later, as a much larger owl entered the kitchen, this one carrying a package in its talons, which it gently deposited on a clear section of table before joining its cousin at the water and meat. The smaller bird made a clearly irritated sound and ruffled its feathers before taking to the air again and leaving via the window.

Untying the string and pulling away the heavy brown paper, Xeno commented, «Ah, your potions have arrived, Iruka-san.» He tilted the box towards his guest, revealing a dozen glass potion phials, each with its stopper covered in wax stamped with a logo depicting a cauldron sitting on an open book. «Each one should last for seventy-two hours, so this amount should be enough to get you at least capable of regular conversation in English, and likely more. I'd suggest taking your first as soon as possible, since you're already with people who will be speaking English in your presence. The taste, I'm afraid, is just as unpleasant as most other potions, and you'll feel a slight tingling around your temples for several minutes as the potion takes effect, and again when it wears off.»

With a nod to his host, Iruka withdrew one of the phials. It held probably about as much liquid as a small teacup, with a thick, flat bottom that likely made it easy to stand on a table or workbench for filling. The contents were quite fluid and seemed to avoid the walls of the phial like mercury, with a color he could only describe as a vibrant beige. Reasonably numbed to the bizarre elements of this world by now, he simply shrugged, broke the wax seal, popped the cork, and drained the phial in one smooth motion. The whiff he had gotten smelled strongly of fish, while the taste was reminiscent of that time Naruto tried to "improvise" a ramen recipe (an incident which was now classified, by order of the Seventh Hokage). As described by Xeno, his head began to tingle, centered roughly beneath his temples; it wasn't painful, though he was certainly glad that it wouldn't be continuous throughout the potion's effect.

«Excellent! Perhaps, after breakfast, we can begin your first proper lesson in the English language.»

 **Λ**  
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**V**

There turned out to be one slight wrinkle in Xeno's plan: Shortly into their lesson, when he explained to Luna what they were doing, she eagerly asked if she could learn Japanese. Grinning with obvious pride at his daughter's thirst for knowledge, he agreed, and thus the lesson became a hybrid English/Japanese language class, with Xeno as the primary teacher and each of his students also acting as a teaching assistant.

 **Λ**  
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**V**

That afternoon, both Lovegoods used the Floo to return to the hospital. Iruka begged off, stating that he didn't want to intrude on what should be time as a family, and anyway he hadn't done his training for the day yet. What he didn't mention was that he didn't want to be among the first things Pandora saw when she awoke, in case she remembered him from and associated him with her accident; better to give Xeno time to explain the situation to her fully and prevent any awkward misunderstandings.

Several hours later, Iruka had finished training, showered, and dressed in fresh robes. He was now carefully practicing using a quill pen to draw the letters he'd been shown earlier, when he heard the distinctive _whoosh_ of Floo travel followed by voices. Carefully stoppering his ink and tidying his workspace on the coffee table, he rose just as the three Lovegoods ascended the stairs, a more difficult task than usual given the fact that Xeno was helping to steady Pandora, while Luna clung to her mother's side as if desperately seeking reassurance that she was truly back. Immediately, Iruka pulled the coffe table away from the sofa, creating a clear path, and was rewarded with a grateful smile from Pandora. The woman herself looked pale, fatigued, and a bit unsteady, but she was still doing far better than at their previous meeting. Clearly, given the extent of her injuries, wizards were about as good at healing as shinobi, though he suspected that merging the two styles of healing might provide even better results - something to look into if he ever regained contact with Konoha.

Once the family had seated themselves on the couch, with their newly-returned member in the middle, Iruka bowed to the woman and greeted her in English: "Welcome home, Mrs. Lovegood. I am Iruka Umino, and it is a pleasure to meet you." He had made sure to learn those sentences during that morning's lesson for precisely this reason.

«Pandora Lovegood, the pleasure is mine.» Her response was as thickly-accented as he suspected his greeting had been, but was still clearly intelligible. Judging by Luna's proud grin and Xeno's fond chuckles, it would appear that someone had a brief language lesson before their return home.

 **Λ**  
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**V**

Over the next several days, life at the Lovegood home gradually returned to their version of normal. Pandora still tired easily, but was getting stronger by the day, and began to join Iruka in some of the chores he had been doing to help his hosts. There had been some tension between them at first, until a conversation translated by Xeno revealed that both had apparently feared that the other would blame them for the accident. Once everyone realized this, they all burst out laughing, and any lingering stress seemed to vanish. It was hours before the Rook's occupants stopped randomly chuckling.

Xeno still spent a great deal of time in the Rook, but made regular trips to the small office he rented for use as the Quibbler's headquarters, as his magazine still needed to be printed and sent out to its subscribers.

Pandora, meanwhile, had also joined in with the language lessons, ordering additional Libation for once she was clear of her current medical potions regime. With such parents, it was easy to see where Luna's inquisitive nature came from. Soon, many conversations in the quirky house involved the speakers trying to include their new vocabulary, leading to sentences that switched seemingly at random between English and Japanese, often to Xeno's great amusement.

 **Λ**  
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**V**

A week after Iruka's arrival, a particularly bedraggled old owl arrived at breakfast, perching on a side table after dropping a note into Pandora's porridge. With an air of fond exasperation and amusement, the woman cleaned the mess with her wand before opening the missive. Their guest was able to make out some of what she explained to her family, something regarding the Weasleys and a party. Finally, Xeno took pity on him and filled in the gaps. «Molly Weasley wishes to throw a get-together next Saturday at the Burrow, partially to celebrate Pandora's recovery, partially to welcome you to the village more properly, and partially so that she can feed every witch and wizard in Ottery St. Catchpole until we all burst. The other nearby magical families will also be invited, so you'll get the chance to meet our neighbors and practice your English with someone that doesn't know any Japanese.»

«Well, in that case, I'd better redouble my studies! I don't want to be clinging to you the whole time making you translate for me. Of course, if you need help getting out of a conversation, make this gesture,» Iruka demonstrated a basic 'need assistance' signal from Konoha's sign code, «and assuming I see it I'll make sure to suddenly require your help translating something,» he winked at his host. «That said, what have you told people about who I am and how I came to be staying here? I don't want to contradict anything you've already said, though I can't help but feel that it might be best if fewer people knew that I come from another world.»

Xeno chuckled, «Both excellent ideas. I was thinking along the same lines regarding your origins, so I've kept things to a minimum. You are Umino Iruka, a teacher from an isolated magical community. During one of your classes, a mishap with a spell a student was attempting coincided and seemingly interacted with a mishap in Pandora's experiment, bringing you here by a rough portkey-like effect. We are helping you find a way back to your homeland which, due to its isolated nature, is not listed in any available record and is Unplottable, thus explaining your difficulty in returning. That isolation also explains why your use of magic is different, since your homeland has had no known previous contact with the rest of the Wizarding World. Does this sound acceptable?»

«Sounds good. It's mostly true, which makes the few bits of fiction easier to remember and easier to pass as truth.»

«My reasoning exactly. It would appear, then, that we have a plan!»

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally did not plan this. Molly just wanted to throw a party, and you know how stubborn she can be...
> 
> Got a Follow notification on Monday for an author with two fics on my Favorites list, which is definitely a boost to my confidence!
> 
> Anyway, a comment on my writing (so ignore everything below if you don't care about my process and plans): There are certain events that I would call 'landmarks', like the battle with the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets or the Little Hangleton graveyard. I've got most of those already at least planned out, and in at least one case written up in advance (pending revision to account for what I write between now and then), and these landmarks are some of the easiest things to write for me. Second easiest are scenes that flow naturally as I write them, where each event, action, or bit of speech dictates the next. Action scenes tend to fall under this heading. Where I tend to bog down is in between such scenes, in the parts that stitch everything else together. I have at times been sorely tempted to do this fic as the kind of story that constantly timeskips and (other than maybe bits of narration/exposition summing things up) leaves the reader to fill in the gaps.
> 
> Fortunately or unfortunately, my inner Slytherin and Hufflepuff teamed up to force me down the harder path of actually writing things out. That's not to say that I won't timeskip; I'll be skipping weeks or even months at times, with only a minimal nod to events during such periods, but most of these skips will be of time where either nothing happens or nothing of note diverges from canon.
> 
> What I refuse to do is spend lots of your time and mine simply regurgitating canon events. While there may be points where Iruka's perspective on an unaltered canon event might be of interest, I'm not going to have a long scene for such. As an example, the entire Sorting goes by in less than five paragraphs, and a lot of that isn't directly Sorting-related. I know that many people that read this will have not only read the books and/or seen the films, but will likely have also read numerous other fics that cover the same ground, and I don't want to bore them by simply repeating material they're already exhaustively familiar with.


	6. Party Time

Iruka's lessons in the days leading up to the party focused heavily on conversational English and on topics of British magical culture that were likely to be referenced. The use of broomsticks for flight answered certain questions while generating others (mostly variations on "why brooms?"). For such a relatively peaceful society (at least compared to the Elemental Nations prior to Naruto's Peace), the game of Quidditch sounded strangely violent, and he couldn't help but wonder about the scoring system, though he resolved to withhold judgement until such time as he could actually watch a game. Regardless, flying was added relatively high on the chuunin's list of things to learn; unfortunately, neither Xeno nor Pandora were big flyers, and didn't feel competent to teach him properly, so he'd need to find an instructor once his English was up to the task.

**Λ**   
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**V**

By the day of the party, Iruka could converse passably in English, though his accent was still quite thick and he tended to botch the syntax fairly frequently. It was very much a work in progress, but it was at least enough to get through the party without relying on Xeno for everything, especially since he could usually work out the meaning of what he heard, even if his ability to respond was limited. Pandora's understanding of Japanese was advancing as well, particularly now that she could also make use of the Libation, and Luna was learning quickly as well. While the mother would likely reach fluency first, her daughter was still setting an impressive pace, helped partly by a clear drive to pick up the language.

Pandora's strength had entirely returned at this point, and she happily took advantage of this fact, along with the beautiful weather that day, to request that they walk to the Burrow rather than Floo or Apparate. It was quite clear that Luna had learned her 'Puppy Eyes no Jutsu' from her mother, and soon the four were strolling through the Devon countryside. A couple of kilometers later, with Xeno looking somewhat worn and the other three completely fine, Iruka got his first up-close look at the Burrow.

As with every other magical structure he had seen so far, it looked as if it had been constructed while under some sort of perception-warping genjutsu (or strong psychedelic drugs). A small, squat stone building had obviously been expanded on at least four or five separate occasions, often vertically. The result was a tall, teetering dwelling that by all rights should probably be a pile of debris if gravity was functioning properly, and he desperately hoped that there was some form of magical reinforcement holding the whole structure together. A large shed sat out front and to the side, with a chicken coop somewhat nearer the front door, and there was a small orchard visible a ways behind the house. Also behind the house Iruka could hear a low hum of conversation, suggesting that the gathering was taking place in the back yard.

The quartet rounded the house to find a bustling group of adults and children, with most of the latter having flaming red hair. Several long tables had been set up in the back yard and seemed to be straining under the weight of the food laid out on them. Next to the back door of the house lay a large, somewhat overgrown kitchen garden, and further out was a small pond. Rusted cauldrons and bedraggled boots were piled to one side of the door, and Iruka could see most of the children sneaking repeated eager glances at what appeared to be a small stone outhouse.

"Xeno!" The shout came from a smiling man of around Iruka's age, slightly overweight, with thinning red hair and a friendly-looking face. From descriptions of the Lovegoods' neighbors, this approaching figure must be Arthur Weasley, their host for the day. "Wonderful to have you over. And Pandora, I can't tell you how glad we are to see you back to full health." He shook both of their hands while speaking to them. "Luna, nice to see you again. Ginny's around here somewhere, probably chasing after the twins for whatever they've done this time, and we've Cedric and Shirley over as well. I think I heard somebody playing Exploding Snap earlier as well..." Now he turned to Iruka, extending a hand. "And our visiting hero! Welcome to the Burrow, Mr. Umino, and let me add my thanks to those you've doubtless already received for helping Pandora." Arthur's handshake was firm and enthusiastic, everything about the man radiating warmth and congeniality.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley. It is pleasure to be here. Your garden is quite lovely." Iruka smiled as he returned the greeting.

**Λ**   
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**V**

Over the course of the party, Iruka found himself introduced to and conversing at least briefly with Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ronald, and Ginny Weasley, Amos, Tabitha, and Cedric Diggory, and Lawrence, Cordelia, and Shirley Fawcett.

The twins had the confusing habit of repeatedly switching speakers mid-sentence, and made several (failed) attempts to trick Iruka into drinking or eating things that they had dosed with potions. Most of these he simply faked consuming the tainted substance, but on one occasion he used a quick bit of misdirection and sleight-of-hand to leave the twins caught in their own prank, hamming it up as their siblings and several others laughed. After their heads returned to their normal shape, the two laughingly came up and congratulated him on turning the prank around on them. "That" "was brilliant!" "Dunno how you did it" "but we acknowledge your superior pranking skills!" This was capped off by a pair of comically exaggerated bows.

"Honestly! You two!" Mrs. Weasley bustled over, clearly less than pleased. "It's bad enough you get up to that nonsense at Hogwarts, but must you bother our guests as well?"

"It is no problem, Mrs. Weasley. I teach pranksters before, know how to deal with them. No one hurt, all in fun, yes?"

"Very well," Mrs. Weasley huffed, "but no more of this today or you'll both be de-gnoming the garden till you've children of your own!"

"Yes, mum," the twins chorused in perfect synch.

With a still-suspicious nod at the two, the woman moved off, likely to make sure that everyone was being amply fed. Iruka took the opportunity to lean down between the two and whisper in their ears. "Your mistake, too obvious. Need to be more subtle, more sneaky. Distraction work very well for this. You are two, yes? One distract, other play prank, much harder to spot that way." Straightening up, he smiled and winked at their dumbstruck-yet-worshipful expressions.

**Λ**   
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**V**

It was during a conversation with several of the adults and children that it came out that Iruka had yet to learn to fly a broom.

"Well that can't stand!" Charlie exclaimed, getting solemn nods from the twins, Ronald, Ginny, and Cedric. "Come around this summer, we'll have our brooms home then, so we can teach you!"

Glancing at the Weasley parents, the chuunin noted that Arthur looked amused while Molly leaned more towards exasperation. "Thank you," he demurred, "but I will have to see if I have time when you are free. Also, still learning English, easier to teach when student can ask question and understand answer, yes?" The children nodded, satisfied. He'd contact the Weasley parents at a later point, to make sure they approved of this invitation before deciding whether to accept. Still, he hoped that it would work out; flight had all sorts of uses, and besides, it sounded like a lot of fun.

**Λ**   
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**V**

By the end of the party, Iruka had resolved to put in extra training hours for the next week to burn off all the calories he'd eaten. The party had been enjoyable, however, and the food delicious. He even asked Mrs. Weasley at one point whether she had ever considered running a restaurant. At her awkward response, he suggested that she might also look at possibly writing a cookbook, to share her lovely recipes, which brightened her mood immediately.

Percival Weasley, or "Percy" as most called him, reminded Iruka uncomfortably of Ebisu, highly intelligent but stern and uptight, with an unhidden disdain for his twin brothers' antics. He hoped the boy would turn out to share Ebisu's more positive character traits if pressed, but for now simply remained polite.

When Arthur found out about Iruka's desire for information on the non-magical world, he soon almost dragged the chuunin around to the shed in front of his house. Inside, the most dominant feature was a vehicle of some kind, judging by the wheels, though of an unfamiliar design. Along the walls were workbenches, sets of shelving, and pegboards, all of which were strewn with a seemingly random assortment of objects, some more recognizable than others. The party's host took great pride in displaying his collection of plugs and batteries, but expressed his frustration at being unable to determine the function of a rubber duck. His expression turned to one of almost childish joy when Iruka explained that it was a child's bath toy. Many further descriptions and explanations (or at least attempts thereat) followed, but in the end, Iruka left with little new information. Many of the electrical items were little different from what he'd find back home, but even for those Arthur's information was often badly flawed. Given that this was supposed to be their government's top expert on all things non-magical, it was abundantly clear that he would have to look to unofficial sources if he wanted to learn about that side of this world. The overall impression of Arthur that he was left with was of an exceptionally friendly and likeable man, a good and loving father, but not extraordinarily bright.

**Λ**   
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**V**

The party past, lessons became more relaxed and freeform once more. Now that Iruka was beyond basic vocabulary and focusing on refining his speech, topics of conversation ranged significantly farther than language and common subjects. This, in turn, allowed Xeno and Pandora to roll in lessons on Wizarding Britain, from ancient history to law and civics and from education to wildlife, though magic itself was still only lightly touched upon outside of general theory and a bit of basic potion-making. Discussion of Pandora's research was likewise mostly shelved until the two were finished with their Libation regime.

Some of the more recent history, along with more detailed political discussion, was saved for times when Luna was elsewhere. It was now that Iruka learned in greater depth about the Blood War and Lord Voldemort. Being a shinobi, he couldn't help but examine the tactics used by both sides, and it was clear why things had progressed as they had: One side held the clear moral high ground, and defended that position as staunchly as they defended their nation, attempting to fight a predominantly law-enforcement action against their enemies while still remaining a civilized society. The other side, meanwhile, went beyond ruthlessness to active cruelty and sadism, deliberately exploiting the rules their enemies followed in order to shield themselves from retribution. This difference alone would hardly have been insurmountable, but other problems make the outcome almost certain: There was a mind-controlling magic that was apparently nearly impossible to resist, allowing even the most loyal defenders to be suborned. That neither this curse nor magical disguises could be reliably tested for under most circumstances meant that nobody could be truly trusted, making any attempt to organize a successful large-scale response virtually impossible. On top of all that, given that the Death Eaters tended to target the families of those who even so much as spoke against their master, it was hardly surprising that only a devoted few were willing to stand and fight.

Of course, even if there had not been such disparities between the two sides' methods, there would still have to be enough popular will to fight against Voldemort. Troublingly, it seemed that many British witches and wizards, at least among the so-called "purebloods", were at best apathetic when it came to the Dark Lord's dogma of bigotry towards those whose ancestry was insufficiently "pure", and many actively agreed with such beliefs, even if not all approved of his methods and his grab for power. Nothing made this clearer than the fact that several of his followers were not only free nowadays, but considered pillars of the community. True, they had pled that their actions were coerced through mind control, but their and their families' political stances both before and after the war suggested otherwise. They were from "good, respectable families" and they gave some money to "worthy causes" (some of which were actually worthy, like the hospital), so in the end only those who couldn't or wouldn't make excuses for their actions were imprisoned, while the rest were welcomed back into society with open arms. Many now held positions of considerable influence and importance, ironically making them closer to taking over the country now than at any time during the war. It seemed that, at least among the ruling aristocracy, their toxic ideology was generally at least tolerated and often supported. Even if the dividing lines were drawn differently, it was still chillingly reminiscent of accounts he had read from Mizu no Kuni before and during the Bloodline Purges.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you transfigure some torches and pitchforks, I am not trying to bash Arthur. He's a great guy in most ways, but he does unfortunately seem to treat muggles like a clever tribe of quaint primitives. While he might like them and care about their wellbeing, his attitude towards them is not really one of respect.
> 
> Anyway, as I said last chapter, this party was no part of my plans - sometimes the characters just decide to do something and I go along with it. Next chapter, Iruka finally gets his wand!


	7. Sealed Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Text inside «» is in Japanese.

Feeling increasingly like a freeloader, Iruka considered how he might better contribute to the Lovegood household. Most of his skills were either language-dependant (such as teaching) or not the kind of thing his hosts would likely need or approve of (such as killing). Finally, he realized one thing that _could_ provide some value to his hosts - seals. He had already made some use of his moderate fuuinjutsu skills since his arrival, keeping any weapons not carried on his person inside a storage scroll (which he often still carried on him) to avoid awkward questions like "what are all these knives for?". It was a very versatile discipline, with many non-combat applications; the big question was whether any of those applications would be of use to people here.

«Xeno-san, could you help me with something? It's a bit of an experiment, but I can virtually guarantee that it's safe; the worst that should even be _able_ to happen is nothing.» He had prepared a Light Generating Seal, one of the most basic seals taught to beginners both because of its simplicity and the fact that it was virtually impossible to cause a catastrophic malfunction if the creator was even remotely competent.

«Of course, Iruka-san, what can I do for you?» Xeno could clearly tell that this was a serious matter, as his guest had taken to using English as much as possible to get in extra practice.

«I need you to try channeling a small amount of magic into this diagram,» he replied, indicating the charging node on the seal, «right there. I want to see if a wizard can make use of it without special training.»

Xeno nodded, drawing his wand, and placed the tip on the charging node. After a moment's concentration, the central formation of the seal began to emit a faint teal glow. It would seem that 'magic' had at least something in common with yin-heavy chakra: One of the other major uses of this seal was as a training tool, to show how the chakra used was balanced. Yin chakra would tint the light blue, while yang would tint it red. The shade he saw was unusual, and he thought back to reports of other colors. Jinchuuriki and other individuals with anomalous chakra could produce atypical shades, something Naruto had helped him confirm - including that sage chakra lit the seal green! This teal light might be an indicator that magic drew from both the user's spiritual energy and the energy of nature, which would explain why some locations were described as being stronger magically, if they had high concentrations of natural energy. Satisfied by his new discoveries, Iruka thanked his host and indicated that he could stop.

«I might need to tweak things slightly to account for the differences,» he explained, briefly lighting the seal with his own chakra to demonstrate, «but it appears to be workable. If all goes well, I may be able to produce something useful for you and your family, or even versions that could be sold to make up for the cost of my stay here.»

Xeno briefly adopted the fond, exasperated smile that he often wore when Iruka talked about paying him back. Clearly he didn't feel it was necessary, but was willing to humor his guest to spare the man's dignity. His look of curiosity soon returned, however. «May I ask what this diagram is? Some of the marks look like kanji or kana, but I can only read a couple of symbols, and I've never seen anything like it.»

«This is a seal, specifically a standard basic light seal,» Iruka explained. «Fuuinjutsu can produce a number of useful effects, really limited mainly by the skill of the person drawing the seals. I'm far from a master of the discipline, but I can handle a few common tasks like storing items, locking doors or containers, reinforcing objects, and creating barriers, among other things. What I need now is to determine what, if anything, would be useful to you or others, and make sure it all can work fully with magic.»

For the next two hours, Iruka described and demonstrated a number of different seals, all civilian-cleared, and discussed their possible uses with his host. In the end, it was agreed that Iruka would provide his hosts with a small supply of storage seals, apply reinforcement seals to the Rook's walls and floors, and place fire-sealing scrolls in accessible locations for use in emergencies. In addition, Xeno and Pandora would show some of these seals to friends and neighbors to sound them out on the potential demand, and possibly begin generating a market. Xeno warned, though, that British wizards and witches were generally very conservative and not particularly fond of novelty, so demand would likely be low, especially at first.

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**V**

Three days later, a fierce-looking eagle owl swooped in through the Lovegoods' kitchen window and deposited a letter in front of Iruka before immediately departing. "It would appear you have mail, Iruka-san," Xeno commented with ill-concealed amusement at his guest's bewildered expression. Shaking off his surprise, Iruka broke the wax seal on the letter and found it to be written in Japanese:

« _Umino Iruka:_

_It has come to my attention that you are offering for sale a number of magical devices of unique character. The descriptions I have heard suggest that your products may be of use to Gringotts. As such, I invite you to meet with myself and other Gringotts representatives here at the bank at 1PM on Monday 24th April. If you do not wish to meet, or if this time is unacceptable, please notify me by owl no later than close of business tomorrow._

_Bring such materials as you will require to demonstrate these "seals" you offer for sale. You may also bring one advisor of your choice if desired. Inform a teller that you have an appointment with me._

_Yours in Profit,_

_Keddrok, Vice-Chief of Acquisitions, Gringotts Bank, London_ »

Iruka's eyes rose as he read. "Xeno, are you free Monday afternoon? It would appear that Gringotts may be interested in purchasing some seals." He handed the letter to his host.

"I can certainly make the time. This could be quite the opportunity for you. Of course, between now and Monday we'll have to do our best to brush up on goblin culture; goblins are proud beings, easily offended and extremely slow to forgive. While I very much doubt that we can get them to _like_ you, a disdainful tolerance should be quite doable, and more than enough for a workable business relationship."

Unlike the lead-up to the party at the Burrow, Xeno was studying almost as much as he was teaching. While he had vaults at Gringotts himself, he had never attempted to do business directly with the goblins outside of normal banking functions. As with the language lesson, Pandora and Luna enthusiastically joined in.

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**V**

That Monday, a deal was struck to supply Gringotts with various seals on a regular basis. Neither human was an experienced business negotiator, and dealing with another species made it even harder on them, though Iruka's training was enough to pick up a couple of tells. While he was certain that he could have gotten a significantly better deal, Iruka was satisfied with the money he would be receiving, as it more than paid for his room and board (he'd done some cost research in advance). Agreement reached, all parties signed the magically-binding contract that ensured Iruka would uphold his end and Gringotts wouldn't try to resell or reverse-engineer any of his seals without his explicit permission.

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**V**

Five weeks after his unexpected arrival in the Lovegoods' living room, Iruka had mastered the English language enough that further use of the Libation would no longer help. To celebrate, on the afternoon of the day that his last dose wore off, Xeno took Iruka to Diagon Alley to purchase a wand. This would also be Iruka's first purchase with Galleons he had earned through selling his seals. Even after hearing about and working with them for weeks, his logical mind still balked at the conversion rates between Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts.

The interior of Ollivander's Wands was lit only dimly through the dingy windows, and dust lay on many surfaces. Despite the room itself being two stories tall, it still seemed very closed-in, which was little helped by the dark woods used throughout the shop or the still air in which the ringing of the bell over the door seemed far louder than it had any right to be. Shelves of narrow boxes seemed to cover every wall from floor to ceiling, with the sole openings being the doors and window present in the room and the stairs which led to a catwalk-type balcony. A small counter and till stood beside the foot of the stairs, and a very worn and flimsy-looking chair sat forlornly in a corner.

Sensing a nearby presence, Iruka turned to look just as a man stepped forward. The proprietor of the shop was an older man, with wispy grey hair and large silvery-grey eyes not entirely unlike Xeno's and Luna's. He also had a slight pouting expression, as if annoyed that he had been noticed so quickly, but it lasted only a moment before transforming into a look of curiosity and enthusiasm. He glanced first to Xeno. "Ah, Xenophilius Lovegood, hornbeam and unicorn tail hair, thirteen inches." Turning back to Iruka, he queried, "and who might you be? Trouble with your wand, or coming for a new one?"

"Umino Iruka. I actually have never owned a wand before." Iruka responded somewhat uncomfortably.

"Hmm... The name is unfamiliar, and yet you are far too old to be a new Muggleborn about to start at Hogwarts. I take it you are a recent arrival in Britain?"

"That's right." Iruka proceeded to give a brief summary of the cover story he and Xeno had agreed upon for his origins.

"Fascinating! I have certainly never matched anyone from your country before, so this should be an interesting endeavor! Please, hold up your wand arm." An almost childlike glee had overtaken the man, and he pulled a long tape measure with silver markings from his pocket and began to measure various dimensions on Iruka's body. After the first few, Ollivander walked away while the tape continued to measure spans of increasing strangeness as he puttered about the shelves. It was when it attempted to measure a particularly delicate part of his anatomy that the chuunin's hand snapped down and snatched it from the air. Xeno, meanwhile, was calmly standing and watching with a look of bemusement.

"Every Ollivander wand is made of the finest-quality wand woods," Ollivander explained as he searched, "with a core of either dragon heartstring, unicorn hair, or phoenix feather. No two wands are exactly alike just as no two witches or wizards are exactly alike, though there was that pair of twins last April... Anyway, the key is finding a proper match. The wand chooses the wizard, you know, not the other way around. Better that way, too - I cannot tell you how many times I've dealt with irate customers who purchased an ill-matched wand from some other wandmaker because they thought they knew better how to pick. Bah! No surprise that they got poor results, and not just because some of those wands were good for little more than kindling."

Finally, after several minutes, the wandmaker returned with an armful of boxes which he deposited on the counter before opening one and handing its contents to Iruka, handle-first. "Try this one. English Oak and phoenix feather, ten and one-quarter inches, flexible." Iruka grasped the wand, uncertain of what to do. "Just give it a wave," the man instructed. Doing as he was told, Iruka was startled by the cacophonous cries of seagulls. "No, no, that won't do. This one, Acacia and unicorn hair, twelve inches exactly, whippy." This second wand began billowing steam from the handle. "Not to worry," Ollivander assured him as he snatched the wand from his hand and replaced it with another, "Maple and dragon heartstring, eleven and three-quarters, firm." His third attempted wand match very clearly did _not_ choose Iruka, and demonstrated this by leaping out of his hand and bouncing off Xeno's forehead.

So things went, with Ollivander trying wand after wand, sometimes barely letting them touch Iruka's hand before snatching them away again. Those that weren't snatched away either did little to nothing or had... _unpredictable_ results. Surprisingly, the wandsmith seemed happier and happier as each wand rejected his customer; perhaps he didn't get that much business, and this was his form of on-the-job entertainment? That would certainly put some of the more comical wand reactions in a new light.

It took about twenty-five minutes for Iruka to find the wand for him. Eleven inches, beech wood with unicorn hair, described by Ollivander as "springy". As soon as the chuunin's hand closed around it, he could feel a rush of chakra down his arm, and a warm feeling flowing back, as if the wand were connecting itself directly to his coils. "Marvelous!" Ollivander exclaimed, "I should have tried beech sooner, really, if you've been staying with Xenophilius. Regardless, that will be seven galleons for the wand." He waved his own wand (Iruka noted that the wood seemed to match that in Xeno's wand) and the various boxes flew back to find vacant spots in the shelves. "Will there be anything else, while you're here?"

Iruka left with his new wand in a wrist holster for easier access, a jar of polish and a pamphlet on proper wand care in his pockets, and a resolution to look up wand lore when he got the chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Pottermore: "The true match for a beech wand will be, if young, wise beyond his or her years, and if full-grown, rich in understanding and experience. Beech wands perform very weakly for the narrow-minded and intolerant." Iruka had to be more broad-minded than his peers to be one of the first to see Naruto for who he truly was rather than as an embodiment of the fox.
> 
> "My own wand is made of hornbeam, and so it is with all due modesty that I state that hornbeam selects for its life mate the talented witch or wizard with a single, pure passion, which some might call obsession (though I prefer the term 'vision'), which will almost always be realised." That sounded like a good match for Xeno as well.
> 
> I did write a scene of the meeting in Gringotts, but upon review it wasn't honestly very interesting and just dragged the pacing down. It's still saved, and might make an appearance in some kind of deleted scenes / omakes posting.
> 
> I know some might have expected Iruka to end up with cherry, given the Japanese associations, but it's stated as being a particularly powerful wand wood and Iruka is not going to be a particularly powerful wizard. This, of course, leads me to the questions of magic vs. chakra and wizards vs. ninja, how they relate, etc. Because there won't be any explicit explanations given in-story, I'll describe here how I'm modeling things mentally. This isn't a full, detailed explanation because I frankly didn't feel like crafting a consistent linking mechanic between the two systems when it just won't matter to the story, so it's going to be a bit vague in spots:
> 
> -X-X-X-X-X-
> 
> Magic utilizes both the mage's spiritual energy and something at least very similar to natural energy. Wizarding Earth's natural energy has more of a magical flavor to it, giving it a degree of intelligence and life, and changing its behavior somewhat. That's not to say that a sage couldn't use senjutsu there, but they might experience some strange side-effects and/or challenges. Thousands of years of use as magic have further cemented the magical side of that world's natural energy, almost domesticating it in a way. The natural energy of the Elemental Nations is wilder and more primal, with much less magic in it.
> 
> Growing up in what is effectively a low-magic world stunts the growth of magical ability in children. On the other hand, the active cultivation of their chakra means that even children that would otherwise have been Squibs (or possibly even Muggles, who knows?) can develop their spiritual energy enough to connect somewhat with magic if they go somewhere it's plentiful enough. People with strong spiritual energy (such as the Uchiha clan) would almost certainly be magical even without ninja training. Consider the degree to which the more powerful sharingan / rinnegan users can warp reality - they've advanced enough that a bit of magic is leaking into their ninjutsu. The low magical development and lack of ambient magic is why we don't see accidental magic from shinobi children.
> 
> On the flip side, wizarding children could be trained into highly capable shinobi, but only if their training started young enough. The way I'm working it, part of the reason for ninjas' superhuman physical abilities (which we clearly see Naruto using before he's learned to channel chakra to just part of his body) is that the training regime alters their physical development. Training, medicines, and other practices change the way their body grows, enhancing it greatly. Thus, the more growing a person has done before they start their training and prep, the less of a boost they'll get. Because of this, the late start that those wizarding children Iruka teaches will get is going to prevent them from becoming super-OP shinobi. My intent is that, for the most part, they'll be around high genin or low chuunin level by the end of the story, if you count their magic.


	8. Discovery

Now that he had both a wand and a grasp of the English language, Iruka's magical education began in earnest. When not training or sealing, he would often spend much of his time immersed in books on a variety of magical subjects, though focusing primarily on Charms, Runes, Arithmancy, Enchanting, Occlumency, and (briefly) Divination. Both adult Lovegoods, Pandora especially, could often be found teaching him spells or clarifying points that he had read about but not entirely grasped. Of course, Pandora also tended to loan her wand to her daughter during times that Xeno was teaching, since no one present considered it fair to shut the precocious girl out of learning. Both child and chuunin proved able students, with Iruka frequently spending the extra effort to learn his spells silently as quickly as possible.

At one point, Iruka took a break from a particularly dry volume on Elder Futhark runes and their uses to read the latest issue of the Quibbler, now that he actually had enough knowledge of the language and context to grasp some meaning from it (he did read the Daily Prophet regularly, though he agreed with Xeno that their journalistic standards would make it best suited as lining for the Inuzuka kennels). Three pages in, it was everything he could do not to burst out laughing. He knew from his times eavesdropping and people-watching around Diagon Alley that most considered the Quibbler to be a silly heap of nonsense and insanity, and to be fair that _was_ what it appeared to be initially. Reading deeper (or as the Sixth called it "looking underneath the underneath") revealed that it was actually sprinkled with carefully-constructed and well-hidden political commentary and satire. Once you grasped the loose 'code' in which the articles were written, it became clear that Xeno was directing biting commentary at various influential parties. Given the Ministry's rather blatant corruption, it seemed likely that open and meaningful criticism would likely result in serious bureaucratic or even legal troubles. Disguising the comments allowed both the publisher and the readers to poke fun at those in power while using their targets' narrow-mindedness as a shield against reprisal.

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**V**

As the 26th of May approached, Iruka asked for a few specialized ingredients, as he intended to cook a special meal for the family. "I know a shop that carries imported foods; I can stop in tomorrow while I'm out shopping." A bemused Pandora agreed. "May I ask what the occasion is?"

"Well," the scarred chuunin rubbed the back of his head in a gesture reminiscent of his favorite former student, "the 26th is actually my 43rd birthday, and I wanted to celebrate by cooking one of my favorite foods for everyone. I know ramen isn't exactly fancy cuisine, but it's part of a lot of fond memories for me."

He was rewarded with a sly smile. "Then I'll have to make sure we have everything we need to celebrate!"

After his birthday dinner, the Lovegoods 'surprised' Iruka with birthday presents: An large illustrated bestiary that listed all known magical creatures, current and extinct, with at least basic information about each, and a set of fancy stationary and quills to use for business and other formal correspondence. He spent the evening poring over his new volume with Luna eagerly reading over his shoulder, occasionally commenting on her favorite entries.

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**V**

The glen in which Iruka trained every day was incredibly peaceful. Several days after his birthday party, it turned out to be a little _too_ peaceful, as the chuunin ended up so deeply immersed in his watertop meditations that he neglected his situational awareness.

"How are you doing that?"

A simple question, asked in a tone of calm curiosity in the voice of a child, sent Iruka's system from relaxed meditation to full combat alert in a fraction of a second. By the time he had fully registered his situation, he had already flipped through the air to land in a ready crouch across the pool from the speaker, who turned out to be Luna Lovegood, watching him with her head tilted to one side and her expression no more surprised than it usually tended to look. "Luna?" he managed to croak out, "What are you doing here?"

"You were out longer than usual, so Mummy sent me to let you know that dinner will be ready soon. I've never seen someone sit on top of water before without getting wet, unless the water was frozen. It was very impressive how you threw yourself in the air like that, too. Were you using something like a Featherlight Charm? Mummy said you couldn't put that charm on a person, but I'm sure there could be something that works on people rather than things."

Taking a moment to parse Luna's typical stream-of-consciousness style of speech, Iruka sighed as he relaxed and stood up. "No, Luna, it's - well, it's something from my homeland. We learn to walk in places that we shouldn't be able to, like across water." He demonstrated by crossing to pool to stand in front of the girl. "The jump was part of my physical training. I'd really appreciate it if we could keep this between us; I'm not sure how people would react to some of the things I can do, and besides that I just prefer to keep it a secret."

"I don't see why it's anybody's business what you can do unless you're doing it for them. But..." Here Luna's posture turned somewhat uncertain and she looked down briefly, "can you teach me?" As the girl's face turned back up towards him, Iruka was treated to a blast of puppy-dog eyes that surpassed some _actual puppies_ (and he'd heard the Inuzuka ninken even trained their puppies from an early age to maximize their effect).

The chuunin's mind raced. Having someone to train _with_ would certainly not hurt his regimen, but training a foreign child in shinobi arts without her parents' knowledge and permission didn't sit well with him at all. Then again, he considered, he didn't have to teach her anything particularly dangerous - basic chakra usage and physical conditioning, maybe some simple taijutsu to help her protect herself - she was too old to ever likely reach the capabilities of a full shinobi, even with the level of training that tended to come with green spandex bodysuits, but she could still be able to keep herself safe. Coming to a decision, he addressed Luna. "I may, but I will want your parents' permission first. If I do teach you, though, I will be expecting you to work hard."

Luna's excitement was palpable, as her broad grin seemed to brighten the small glen like a miniature sun. She immediately grabbed an amused Iruka's hand and dragged him off back towards the Rook as fast as her short legs could take her.

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**V**

It was obvious during dinner that Luna couldn't wait for Iruka to ask her parents, and equally obvious that said parents were aware that something was up. "Luna saw a bit of my training today," Iruka began, "and wanted to ask if I could teach her a bit of what I can do. I responded that I would consider it if you two gave your blessing."

Xeno seemed about ready to agree immediately, but Pandora put a hand on his forearm, halting him, before addressing their houseguest. "Perhaps you could give us some idea of what you'd be teaching her, and what this 'training' entails?"

Iruka nodded; he had expected this question. "At first, it would largely consist of physical exercise and meditation, the latter partially with the intent of helping her learn to access the same form of energy I use for my techniques. If she gained reliable access, that portion of the training could then progress to teaching her some basic uses of this energy. Finally, once she reached a satisfactory level of physical conditioning, I'd teach her some basic techniques for self-defense. You are both welcome to accompany me to the glen on Saturday to see a demonstration of the kinds of things Luna could eventually learn."

This sounded good to the Lovegood parents; physical fitness was hard to argue against, and all parents want their children to be able to protect themselves. There were still concerns, however. "And what precisely _is_ this energy you'd be teaching our daughter to use? What is its source?" They certainly didn't want Luna unknowingly tapping into some form of Dark magic, after all.

"My people call it 'chakra', and it's produced by blending energies native to one's own body. When people uses magic, they are combining two energies - spiritual energy from within themselves, and natural energy from the world around them. At least, that's what I believe to be the case based on my tests thus far. In chakra, the spiritual energy is still used, but the other component is physical energy, drawn from one's own body. This is part of the reason for the physical training: While spiritual energy grows with one's mind and experiences, physical energy grows through strengthening the body. It is possible to combine all three energies, but only for those who have undergone special training, as ordinarily the power of nature can easily overwhelm the internal energies of the user, usually with fatal results. I could count the number of humans I know of that can do that safely on one hand."

"With chakra, the only real risk comes from overuse leading to exhaustion, something which I understand is equally possible with magic. Of course, mishaps carry a risk as well, but that seems to be another common trait. The major differences come in how the two energies are used: Magic is most easily used in external manifestations like charms and transfigurations, whereas many of the more universal forms of chakra usage are either internal or self-focused, such as temporarily boosting one's own strength, speed, and durability."

Xeno took this opportunity to show the incisive mind behind his writings. "Physical conditioning, self-defense, bodily reinforcement, garments that seemed as if they might be a uniform of some type, first-aid training with extensive supplies for a schoolyard class - a picture begins to emerge. I haven't felt a particular need to pry before now, but I'm sure you can understand why I ask: You gave your profession as 'teacher', but what is it you teach, and towards what kind of careers does it lead?"

Knowing he was caught, Iruka gave a resigned sigh. "In terms of subject matter, I teach a broad range of topics; I'm essentially a general-education teacher for the profession my students are pursuing. That profession, the same in which I was trained, is that of a _shinobi_ \- a ninja."

Pandora and her daughter clearly did not recognize the term, but the increased tension in Xeno's frame showed that he was familiar with it. "Luna, dear," Xeno said calmly, "perhaps now would be a good time for you to catch up on your reading? This discussion may cover topics you shouldn't be dealing with." The girl was clearly confused and slightly worried, but with reassuring nods from the adults in the room, made her way reluctantly upstairs. Once her footsteps had disappeared into the upper reaches of the Rook, Xeno motioned for his guest to continue.

Iruka gathered his thoughts, trying to summarize the shinobi lifestyle to a couple of civilians that had never even heard of the Elemental Nations, being honest while at the same time framing things in as positive a light as could be managed; it would have been a mess, had he not pondered the possibility of a discussion like this occurring and considered what to say weeks ago. "The simplest way to describe the role of shinobi in the society of the Elemental Nations would be as an elite kind of soldier, but that doesn't fully encompass what we do. While we do serve as the primary form of defense for our nations, each Hidden Village also supplements its government funding by hiring out shinobi for missions. These missions need to be approved by the village's government, so that they don't go against the interests or values of their village or country, and can include things like apprehending criminals, eliminating bandits or problematic wild animals, guarding travelers, bodyguard duties, hostage rescue, and even chores and errands like babysitting and grocery shopping. Admittedly, these missions can also be of a less positive nature, such as espionage, theft, or even kidnapping or assassination, though only some villages have been historically willing to accept the nastier contracts, and Konoha, my village, is not one of them. Often, the worst jobs are done by deserters and renegades from the villages, who are desperate or amoral enough to do anything for money. Stopping or at least thwarting such renegades is a focus of many missions for more skilled shinobi."

"I myself come from Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, which has historically been one of the most pacifistic and moral villages. That's not to say our shinobi have never done missions like espionage or assassination, but we generally restricted such actions to valid military or political enemies."

"Generally?" Pandora interrupted with a raised eyebrow.

"There was, for a time, a faction within Konoha that disagreed with the village's general principles, and carried out unsavory and unscrupulous acts in secret, believing themselves to be acting for the good of the village. Their leader even briefly usurped the position of Hokage, Konoha's leader, until he was caught trying to use a mind-influencing jutsu on a foreign leader at a peace summit in an attempt to gain control over a newly-formed international alliance. He fled, and was killed soon thereafter." Iruka sighed. "Even over fifteen years later, we still occasionally come across evidence of yet another crime at his hand or his orders."

"This must all sound very bloody to you, but you must understand that the Elemental Nations have a violent history. Prior to the founding of Konoha, shinobi lived in clans, most of which were in a state of near-constant warfare with each other, each striving to raise their own prominence to gain access to more lucrative contracts and clients. Konoha, followed by the rest of the Hidden Villages, were founded in part to help promote peace by tying many previously-hostile clans together as friends and comrades. It worked, too - sort of."

"With clans grouped into villages and villages tying themselves to the governments of the countries in which they were located, there was no longer such fierce competition between clans for the missions which provided their income, but there were still grudges, many of them generations-deep, born of the blood spilled by both sides. Throw in rivalries and disagreements between nations, and there were still enough incentives for war that wars kept occurring. They were generally more contained and less frequent, but often larger in scale."

"It all came to a head around fifteen years ago. A tremendously powerful madman sought to cast a jutsu that would trap the _entire world_ in an idyllic illusion, forever. Needless to say, we preferred freedom and reality to enslavement by a pleasant lie. All of the nations and villages pooled their military forces and confronted an army of creatures fielded by the madman, in what is known as the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Obviously we won, since otherwise I wouldn't be here, but the cost in lives was terrible; almost everyone alive today in the Elemental nations knew or is closely related to at least one, and often several, of those lost."

"Out of that terrible darkness, though, our leaders were able to forge an agreement that has left us in our world's longest and most complete period of peace in recorded history. Fighting together, sharing the fear and the pain and the triumph and the loss, has helped create bonds between groups that had been at each other's throats for generations. More than one of my former students are now married to ninja from villages that warred with Konoha within their lifetimes. The role of shinobi has shifted, somewhat, since the Fourth War. While each village's military power still stands as a deterrent against war, the shinobi of today mostly serve as peacekeepers and law-enforcers, protecting innocent people against those who would prey upon them or shatter our dearly-bought peace." Iruka stopped, here, to allow his hosts to process the vast amount of information he had dropped on them and to discover whether he would still be staying at the Rook come tomorrow.

"You have given us a great deal to think about," Xeno said after some thought, "and I believe it would be best if we all retired for tonight, so that Pandora and I can discuss this and sleep on the matter. We should be able to give you and Luna a tentative answer regarding instruction by morning, though a positive answer would be conditional on our approval of what you demonstrate."

Iruka nodded, and rose to prepare for bed. "I can only ask that the full nature of my training and abilities be kept confidential, as I don't want your Ministry deciding that I am some threat to be eliminated or a curiosity to be captured and studied or experimented on," he commented, receiving nods from his hosts. As he ascended the spiral stair, he saw Xeno wave his wand to erect a bubble of silence around the kitchen table, and the adult Lovegoods began a serious discussion of the evening's revelations.

**Λ**   
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**V**

Breakfast the next morning was tense, peaking as Xeno laid his utensils down and addressed his guest: "We've discussed the information you shared with us last night, and have come to the decision that, assuming we find nothing objectionable in your demonstration, you may train Luna as you described." Pandora would later wonder if her daughter's squeal of excitement was audible all the way to the Burrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so Iruka gets his first student.
> 
> In response to a guest reviewer on FFnet: Iruka will not be a powerful wizard - he'll actually be fairly weak power-wise. Were it not for his shinobi training, he'd be an outright Squib at best, possibly even a Muggle. Now, given the fact that his shinobi training means his magic is more powerful than it otherwise would have been, it does follow that those he trains will get a small power boost in their own magic (not enough to overpower Dumbledore or Voldemort, but not trivial either).


	9. Learning

* * *

The next day, all four current residents of the Rook made their way out to the glen that had become Iruka's ersatz training ground. "I thought I'd start the demonstration by showing you what caught Luna's interest," Iruka stated, before calmly striding out onto the center of the small pool. Turning back to his hosts, he saw Luna continuing to radiate eagerness, as her parents gazed in wide-eyed surprise at the common shinobi skill. "This is an intermediate-level application of chakra, allowing me to walk on a surface that should be unable to support my weight." Jogging over to the trees, he stood at the base of the largest among them. It was still less than twenty meters tall and only slightly thicker than his thigh, but it would suffice for this demonstration. He stated, "A more basic version looks like this," and stepped onto the tree's trunk.

If the adult Lovegoods had been surprised by water-walking, tree-walking left them outright shocked. Both gaped openly, unable to respond, as Iruka stood calmly while protruding parallel to the ground. Having demonstrated, he stepped smoothly back to the ground. "Both of these techniques are used as training methods for refining a person's control over their chakra. Walking on a vertical surface requires that the correct amount of chakra be gathered in the soles of the feet and maintained at a steady level; too little and you lose your adhesion, too much and the surface suffers damage and your footing is destroyed. Water-walking requires even greater control, constantly adjusting for the fluid ever-changing nature of the water." He stepped back onto the pool. "Here is an actual jutsu, albeit one more advanced than Luna would be likely to learn any time soon." Forming a tiger seal, Iruka pushed out and shaped his chakra, causing a mass of water to rise up into a perfect likeness of himself. " **Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu** , the water clone - it's got its limits, and it's not as flashy as some other ninjutsu, but it's saved my life on a few occasions." He cut the flow of chakra to the clone, causing it to collapse back into the water from whence it came.

Stepping back onto dry land, he addressed them again. "Chakra can also be used to reinforce one's body. When combined with physical conditioning, this can produce feats that would be otherwise impossible." To demonstrate, he leapt back, spinning while turning upside down and returning to land on his feet, on the far side of the pool. From his standing start, he had covered over five meters of horizontal distance and cleared at least three at the peak of his arc. "As far as the self-defense, I'll demonstrate as best I can. Most of the training, especially initially, would be practicing the forms to learn the basic movements before attempting to actually learn techniques and applications." He then ran through the first kata of the standard Academy taijutsu style, the movements flowing with trivial ease after over thirty years of practice. Next, he moved back to the pool and called up another water clone, with which he proceeded to spar lightly, holding back to account for the clone's relative weakness and fragility. Still, he made sure to demonstrate several techniques that he knew would be of interest to his audience, such as breaking and counterattacking from several grabs, and having his clone pull its wand only for him to close distance and disarm it.

Dispelling the clone by forcefully countering one last grapple, he returned to shore somewhat damp and spoke to the Lovegoods. "I should mention that, even if Luna were to begin training today, and spend at least as much time training as I do, it is unlikely that she would achieve more than the most basic of these techniques before the end of this year. Further, shinobi begin their training from a very young age, in order to better develop their bodies and their chakra. Luna's later start would likely mean that she would never be able to reach the level of an elite shinobi. I myself would be considered low- to mid-level in my capabilities, and starting late would likely mean that she would need to have far greater talent and potential than I did to ever be able to significantly surpass what I can do. That said, unless she intends to work as an Auror or Hit Wizard, she will hopefully never _need_ to be a powerful fighter, and can instead simply enjoy the benefits of being uncommonly fit and mobile."

Xeno and Pandora looked at each other, communicating without words for several seconds, before turning to their daughter who was looking up at them with nervous enthusiasm. "You have our permission," Xeno stated as he and his wife were engulfed in a hug, "and we will all keep your abilities confidential. Anything that can give our daughter an additional advantage in the world is something we support. We only ask that you consider Luna's health and safety to be the top priority during your training."

Iruka bowed formally to the couple. "Of course, Xeno-san, Pandora-san. The wellbeing of my students is and always has been my highest priority." Detatching their daughter, Xeno and Pandora returned the bow, their daughter imitating them moments later. "So, Luna, your training begins tomorrow. Make sure that you wear clothing you can move freely in while remaining comfortable and decent and that you don't mind getting worn and dirty."

"Hai, Iruka-sensei!"

**Λ**   
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**V**

Once Iruka had gained a sufficient understanding of magical theory, Pandora began explaining her recent research to him. While this still often required him to stop her in order to pursue more in-depth information on topics being discussed, she confessed that their talks had actually advanced her work somewhat: Having to put her ideas into words and explain them to a relative layman brought new organization and insights, and Iruka's very different perspective showed her several mistakes and oversights she had made. Sometimes he would ask a question for which she didn't know the answer, and the two would work together to figure it out, uncovering new information that she hadn't previously thought to be relevant. Conversely, Iruka began teaching Pandora some of the theory behind fuuinjutsu, comparing it to runic scripts and arithmantic diagrams used in warding and enchantments. His reason, other than wishing to reciprocate the education he was receiving, was the mark used as a destination point by the famous **Hiraishin no Jutsu** and the sealing arrays that spread in advance of a summoning jutsu: If seals interacted with space-time jutsu, then perhaps they could be useful in completing Pandora's work or even reversing whatever confluence of events had brought him here.

The research was, admittedly, tiring; while he knew ninja who spent their careers working in R&D, that work had never appealed to Iruka. Teaching had become his calling, even if he also spent a lot of time on administrative work, but if research was his best chance at returning home, that's what he would do.

**Λ**   
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**V**

At the beginning of July, a note from Charlie Weasley had Iruka returning to the Burrow; it was time for him to learn how to fly.

The front door of the curious house was opened by Mrs. Weasley, whose expression was a combination of welcome and surprise. "Why, Mister Umino! Charlie said you'd be coming over, but I would've expected you to come by Floo..."

"I much prefer walking to Floo travel, at least when the distance is so short; doubly so in such nice weather. Besides, it's still so new to me, I tend to feel like I'm intruding to just pop up in someone's kitchen instead of knocking." Granted, back home, the knock might sometimes be on their _window_ , but the principle was the same.

Judging by her warm smile, Mrs. Weasley approved of his courteous attitude. "Well, do come in and rest a moment while I get Charlie for you. I should probably warn you, Fred and George may want to come as well - they're hoping to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, so tips from last year's captain might help their chances a bit." She moved towards a staircase, calling "Charlie! Mister Umino is here!" as Iruka stepped inside.

The interior of the Burrow was warm and inviting, albeit rather cluttered. Its furniture was a somewhat chaotic jumble of different styles, every piece worn and well-used, but also clearly well-made and well-cared for. An odd clock caught the chuunin's eye, showing not the time but the current location or status of each of the nine Weasleys, a fascinating piece that Iruka hoped he might learn how to reproduce, as it could be quite useful back home. The relative clean of the house contrasted with the clutter to suggest a near-constant battle (presumably by Mrs. Weasley) against the various messes made by the Weasley children.

As with the Rook, the inside of the Burrow gave an overwhelming sense of home, family, love, and life. Unlike the Lovegood home, which also felt calm and tranquil in spite of its colorful decorations, the Weasley house seemed steeped in energy and activity. Then again, Iruka supposed, a home that had held seven children at once in a relatively confined space would almost _have_ to get a bit raucous. Iruka's consideration was interrupted when a thundering of footsteps heralded the arrival of Charlie and (as Mrs. Weasley had predicted) the twins.

All three boys had their family's characteristic flaming red hair and pale, freckled skin, and all had fairly robust builds. It struck Iruka that Charlie was likely much more quick and agile than his stocky build suggested, as he had learned that the Seeker position in Quidditch required both speed and maneuverability, though perhaps the young man's muscular build helped somehow in steering his broom. The twins were, as at the party, dressed identically to each other, and it would likely take him some time to learn to distinguish between the two. He also suspected that they would be actively trying to confuse the issue.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Umino," Charlie greeted him, extending his hand for a firm handshake, "why don't you come on out back and let's see if we can't get you in the air." The teen turned and headed for the back door and Iruka followed, bracketed by the twins.

"Ah, our dear friend," "Mister Umino," "welcome back" "to our humble abode." Only years of dealing with Naruto and his tendency to be everywhere at once kept Iruka steady as he dealt with the twins' back-and-forth style of speech. "We must say," "that your advice on your last visit" "has already proven invaluable" "in our efforts to bring laughter to others."

"You can take the teacher out of the school easily enough, but taking the school out of the teacher is a bit harder." Iruka smiled at the two while mentally offering his sympathies to their instructors.

Exiting the Burrow, Charlie made a beeline for the rear outbuilding, emerging moments later with a pair of broomsticks. Like everything else the Weasleys owned, they were clearly used and worn but well-maintained. "Cleansweep Fives," the teen said, "a bit obsolete and slow but they're steady and reliable. Good for learning, and should serve those two troublemakers" gesturing to Fred and George "well on the pitch next year. Anyway, here's what you need to do..."

Fifteen minutes later, Iruka was flying lazy patterns behind the Burrow, making sure to keep below the level of the trees to stay out of sight of the neighbors. Due to the constraints on his movement, he wasn't really moving any faster than he'd have been able to run, but there was a sense of unencumbered freedom to the act of flying that meant that given the opportunity he'd be going _much_ higher and faster. Flying broomsticks were definitely something to try and bring back with him if he ever found a way home.

**Λ**   
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**V**

One fairly mild day in early July, Iruka found himself strangely idle. Xeno was out doing research for his next edition, and the ladies were out on a shopping trip. With nobody to talk to, research with, learn from, or train, the chuunin concluded that today would be a good time to learn about the non-magical majority of this world that he had been largely ignoring, living mostly sequestered in the Rook outside of his regular trips to Gringotts to deliver seals and irregular errands for books and other supplies. Mind made up, he stepped into the Floo and spun off to the Leaky Cauldron.

Reading up on his new world had revealed that the pub which served as the primary gateway to Magical Britain's main commercial district was hidden by wards which made those without magic unable to take conscious notice of it. These wards even extended slightly outward from the front of the building, in order to make certain that the entrance and those passing through it were always fully concealed. It was these wards Iruka hoped to make use of in order to get an idea of how he would need to look and behave to remain relatively unobtrusive in mundane London. Once he could pass without drawing too much attention, he would be able to step out and actually research the technology, culture, and history of the wider world. Any knowledge that could help him get home, or that could be of use if he did manage to return, was worth tracking down.

So it was that Iruka found himself leaning against the outside wall of the Leaky Cauldron, out of the way of the door, simply observing the street outside and the teeming crowds that passed by.

His first shock had come upon opening the door: While he had wondered about the odd vehicle in Arthur Weasley's shed, the answer was startling as he witnessed scores of the machines rumbling and roaring along the street. Whatever they were, they had to be quite heavy, judging by the vibrations Iruka could feel through the soles of his feet as they passed. He could only assume that the noisy section in front of the passenger area contained a motor, though such motors were rarely used in the Elemental Nations as wind, animal power, and human effort tended to be cheaper and less problematic. Clearly the technology behind them had advanced further here.

The construction of the city had been the next big focus. Many of the nearby buildings were four to six stories tall, and of a fairly consistent, if unfamiliar, architectural style, though he could also see glimpses of taller buildings resembling some of Konoha's newer construction. The street itself was paved with a seamless grayish-black substance, bordered by concrete walkways to either side which quite sensibly kept pedestrians from mingling with the heavy, fast-moving vehicles. The walkways had small gaps in places, showing dirt in which small trees had been planted, providing at least a bit of green amongst the brick, stone, concrete, glass, and... whatever that paving material was.

Finally, after assessing his environment, the chuunin moved on to the pedestrians themselves. Their clothing was much closer in style to some of the garments worn in the Elemental Nations. No robes or cloaks were in evidence, and few sandals, but he did see plenty of suits, trousers, shorts, t-shirts, and dresses that wouldn't have looked out of place back home. No weapons of any kind were in evidence anywhere, even to eyes trained at spotting concealed blades. The people he watched largely moved with a single-minded focus, barely acknowledging those they passed. A bit of eavesdropping on the conversations of groups of locals, and he should have the information needed to venture out.

That confident thought was interrupted by a rumbling roar from overhead. Iruka's head snapped up to see a truly _massive_ machine flying loudly overhead. He recognized the general shape as being like the distant flying silhouettes he saw on occasion in the skies over Ottery St. Catchpole and took for a species of local bird, but if those were of similar size to this thing, they had to have been flying _much_ higher and faster than he'd previously thought. A quick glance around showed that few of the surrounding pedestrians even glanced at the airborne behemoth, suggesting that something utterly unseen in the Elemental Nations was here considered downright commonplace. Flying machines flew straight to the top of the chuunin's non-magical to-research list.

**Λ**   
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**V**

Time passed in a blur of research, training, and learning. After obtaining a supply of "Pounds Sterling" and "Pence" at Gringotts and selecting what he hoped were suitably nondescript clothes, Iruka made his first ventures into London proper in mid-July. He did some more extensive people-watching, then went on a shopping trip, picking up some more suitable garments for these expeditions (and some good exercise clothes for both himself and Luna) as well as an extensive collection of books on history, science, and engineering. Many of the books he chose on his first couple of runs were aimed towards children, which he figured would allow him to start at the basics before moving on to more advanced topics. Of course these inevitably ended up shared with Luna and subsequently her parents, and all four of the Rook's residents marveled both at how inexpensive the books were for the quality of illustrations they contained and at the amazing feats accomplished without magic. The book on space travel completely blew all of their minds, though Iruka couldn't help but shudder at the idea of walking on the moon. He could only assume that _this_ world's moon didn't contain the body of a civilization-smashing beast and couldn't be used to hypnotize the planet's population.

It was a history book, however, that truly frightened the chuunin. The scale of this world's wars was staggering, but somewhat unsurprising given its high population; some of the weapons used were profoundly disturbing: Supersonic projectiles that could kill from kilometers away, explosives hurled even greater distances to devastate large areas, weapons whose individual attacks were too fast-moving for even an elite shinobi to dodge and shot out by the score... these were all bad enough, but Iruka swore that he would never tell anyone of even the _possibility_ of atomic weaponry unless it was to warn against its development. It was too close to the superweapon sought by Pein, and there would always be fools and madmen that would seek to use such a weapon if it was available. That this world had experienced plenty of wars since the advent of atomic weapons also proved that Pein's insane plan would never have worked.

**Λ**   
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**V**

Luna persisted enthusiastically in her training, and managed to mold chakra for the first time in late November. It took several more weeks of hard work, but she eventually managed to channel a trickle of it to her fingertips. Her proud smile outshone the glowing light seal when she showed her progress to her parents that evening. Iruka felt some pride in her as well - many students took upwards of a year to reach this point, though they were significantly younger, and Luna was a very dedicated student.

**Λ**   
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**V**

Even as well as he was getting to know the Lovegoods and their culture, he still required their help in selecting gifts for each of his hosts in the leadup to their winter solstice holiday. Apparently, despite not being adherents of the dominant religion practiced in Britain, the magicals of the country had somewhat adopted its holiday traditions, such as gift-giving, singing special songs, and bringing a cut-down evergreen tree indoors to decorate. Iruka felt distinctly awkward when he discovered that gathering with family was also a major part of this holiday's celebration, not wanting to intrude on the Lovegoods' time as a family, but when he offered to spend a few days at the Leaky Cauldron to give them time to spend together as just family both Xeno and Pandora immediately insisted that he stay and join them in their celebrations. It was with a warmed heart and suspiciously moist eyes that the orphaned bachelor found himself welcomed as a sort of unofficial cousin of the Lovegood family.

**Λ**   
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**V**

It was with great relief that Iruka received his Apparation license in late January. The method of travel was, like other magical modes of transport, quite uncomfortable, but the mobility and freedom it offered was too valuable to pass up. His first few lessons from Xeno and Pandora had been unspectacular, with him staring vainly at his destination a few feet away; he had been assured that this was typical, and that they were in no way laughing at the expressions he made or his fruitless spins in place. Partial successes left him missing failure but marveling at the ability of magical healing to readily reattach severed body parts. After his first incident of splinching, he'd understood why Luna wasn't allowed to watch his lessons, and why a license was required.

**Λ**   
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**V**

Luna's tenth birthday party was small in attendance but large in enthusiasm. The only attendees from outside the Rook had been Ginny Weasley and her father, and Iruka had used the opportunity to gift Arthur copies of several children's "How it Works" books as a slightly belated birthday present.

**Λ**   
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**V**

Winter turned to spring, as it generally does, and things continued apace. It was in early June that Pandora and Iruka admitted something they had been trying to deny for several months: Their research had stalled. They had both reached the limits of their knowledge and the available resources. When discussing how they could possibly expand their search and progress further, Pandora informed him that there was really only one source in Britain of rare tomes and esoteric knowledge outside of the jealously-guarded private libraries of the pureblood aristocracy, and she wasn't comfortable leaving Luna home alone to go off researching. This left only one practical option, which defined their plan.

Umino Iruka was going to Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun-dun-dunnn! I'm certain you're utterly shocked by that last development, right? Yeah, didn't think so.
> 
> In case you're wondering why the boost to magical strength isn't mentioned when discussing the benefits of shinobi training, it's because none of them know that'll happen. That's not to say that nobody will ever notice that Iruka's students all tend to be well above-average in magical power, but that's years (in-story) down the road.
> 
> Lots of time-skips this chapter, since most of what was going on was research and domestic life, neither of which are particularly exciting. If somebody wants to write some fluffier scenes or omake of Iruka with the Weasleys and the Lovegoods, be my guest - I'd happily consult with you if desired, and assuming it all fits with how I'm intending to portray the events and characters, I'd point people to it in at least my A/N.


	10. Teaching

It was Monday, the seventeenth of June, and Albus Dumbledore was in his office awaiting a visitor. He had heard, of course, about Pandora Lovegood's apparent accident last spring, and about the strange traveler that had arrived seemingly as a result. Iruka Umino was certainly an enigma; the man had no documented history prior to his arrival, and was selling magical diagrams like nothing Albus had ever seen before. There was one of his flame suppression 'seals' in the Headmaster's desk drawer, for Severus to look over and determine whether it would potentially interfere with the obstacle he was creating. The venerable wizard had already examined the simple scroll both visually and magically, and could only conclude that it must share some common ground with runic scripts.

Apparently this Mr. Umino had been spending much of the last year collaborating with Pandora on her research, seeking both the source of her mishap and a method by which he could return to his mysterious homeland. None of Albus's contacts had ever heard of Hi no Kuni, Konohagakure, or anything else the man spoke of in relation to himself. It would not be the first time that a small magical community had sequestered itself away from the wider world; Avalon, Shangri-La, El Dorado - all had hidden themselves behind powerful magics centuries ago, and had little to no contact since. On the other hand, this left the man with no references as to his character or abilities, no reputation by which he might be considered, and while his behavior since his arrival had been entirely benign, his mysterious past did warrant some suspicion of his true motives.

Last Sunday at breakfast, the Headmaster had received an owl from the enigmatic traveler, asking if he might arrange access to Hogwarts' library and possibly the expertise of its faculty in order to further pursue his and Mrs. Lovegood's research, as they had exhausted their own available resources. After considering the matter for a couple of days, Albus responded to the man's letter, indicating that they should meet, and that today would be the earliest day when he would be free as the Hogwarts Express had departed for London the previous morning and the castle was now settling into its summer lull. Mr. Umino had replied, agreeing to meet that afternoon.

In the meantime, Hogwarts' Headmaster had investigated the man that would soon be visiting him, seeking what little additional information he could find. Molly and Arthur had both spoken highly of the man, having met him several times through their neighbors: They said he seemed friendly and intelligent, if quiet, but was shockingly ignorant about many things both magical and muggle; he didn't even know how to ride a broom! Albus's contacts at Gringotts were able to confirm that the bank regularly bought seals, though given the fact that goblins lived primarily underground and in enclosed spaces, the fire-sealing scrolls would certainly be valuable to them as a way to avert disaster without causing serious collateral damage. Overall, the picture that was painted was somewhat similar to Remus Lupin - that of a reclusive but congenial academic.

Now Albus Dumbledore would at last meet the mysterious Iruka Umino face-to-face. He was eager to learn more about the man and his origins, and at most other times would have had few reservations about inviting him into the castle and perhaps even exploring the man's research himself to sate his oft-neglected academic curiosity. This year, however, was special; given what and who would be arriving in a few months, Albus had to take a much more vigilant approach to anyone, particularly a stranger, suddenly wanting to spend a lot of time inside his school...

 **Λ**  
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**V**

The fireplace of the Three Broomsticks flared green, disgorging Umino Iruka in his finest set of midnight-blue robes. Nodding congenially to the rather buxom publican, he cleaned his robes with a wave of his wand and stepped out into Hogsmeade Village, immediately feeling grateful for the cooling charms he'd placed on his robes as the warm afternoon sun shone down on him. A glance around showed him streets of dirt or cobblestones, with low buildings in a rustic style. If one changed the designs of the buildings somewhat, it wouldn't have looked particularly out of place in the rural areas of the Elemental Nations. The whole village exuded a feeling of busy peace and simplicity; even the air was fresher and cleaner than he'd experienced in London. He set off following the directions Xeno had given him (and Pandora had corrected somewhat) to make his way up to Hogwarts Castle. After his third turn, the castle itself came into view for the first time.

It was, in a word, breathtaking. Situated on a clifftop overlooking a nearby lake, Hogwarts was a massive structure of soaring towers and crenellated walls. While he had seen taller buildings both at home and in London, none of them matched the grandeur of the stone fortress before him that was made all the more impressive by the fact that it had just celebrated its thousandth birthday. Unlike most fortified structures Iruka had seen, Hogwarts Castle was not intimidating or imposing, but instead seemed almost welcoming.

Reaching the edge of the grounds, he was met by a man of impossibly large size, whose long shaggy black hair and beard were lightly dusted with grey. This one-man welcoming committee was dressed in dirt-streaked clothing of a simple cut and stout fabric, with a vest made of animal skins. In contrast to his imposing appearance, the man's bearing was relaxed and open, and he waved Iruka over as the chuunin approached. "Yeh'll be Mister Umino, then?" The man's voice was as large as the rest of him; even speaking normally, he was almost as loud as Maito Gai.

"That's right. I have an appointment with Headmaster Dumbledore in his office; may I take it that you'll be my guide?" Iruka enquired with a friendly smile, extending his hand.

"Rubeus Hagrid, Gamekeeper an' Keeper o' the Keys an' Grounds here at Hogwarts, but jus' call me Hagrid," the now-named Hagrid smiled as he shook Iruka's hand (and half his forearm). "And yeah, I'll be showin' yeh up ter the Headmaster's office. Hogwarts is a beautiful place, but it can be a mite confusin' to those as aren't used to findin' their way 'round."

The two proceeded amiably up to the castle, Iruka nearly jogging at times to keep up with Hagrid's longer strides. As they walked, Hagrid pointed out and named various features of the castle and grounds, such as the Forbidden Forest and his own hut nearby, the Black Lake, the Astronomy, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor towers, and others. He also kept up a near-constant stream of anecdotes about some of the things he'd seen in his decades on staff.

Both men were laughing at a story of a prank fifteen years earlier when Iruka sensed a projectile coming at him from behind. He reflexively sidestepped, watching the toy balloon filled with mud splatter on the stone floor in front of them. Turning, he beheld a garishly-dressed translucent little man floating in the air with a disappointed pout on his face. "Why do you have to go and spoil Peeves's fun? Just wanted to give you a little extra decoration for your meeting!"

"PEEVES!"

At the shout, the little man flew down the corridor, cackling, disappearing through the first wall to get in his way. From the other direction came the shouter, a grizzled old man carrying a mop and an equally grizzled (and similarly old) cat. His mien of fury intensified when he beheld the splash of mud on the floor, but softened to grudging respect when he turned to Hagrid. "Bloody poltergeist, always another mess. Where'd he run off to this time, Hagrid?"

"Down the corridor the other way - reckon he'd be at the courtyard by now if he kept on. Seems 'e decided ter try an' give Mister Umino 'is own version of a Hogwarts welcome." The man nodded curtly and turned to the mud, beginning to mop while muttering sulfurously about irritating poltergeists and miserable brats always making more work for him, while Iruka and Hagrid continued on their way with the cat watching them until they were out of sight.

"That'd be Filch," Hagrid explained a minute later, "and 'is cat, Mrs. Norris. 'E's the caretaker 'ere, y'see, and Peeves is always drivin' 'im spare what with the messes 'e makes. Only poltergeist at Hogwarts, Peeves is, usually pretty harmless, but always makin' trouble for summat."

Iruka nodded absently, watching as a pair of what could only be ghosts crossed the corridor, their conversation cutting in and out sharply as they emerged from one wall and passed into the other ("...should give him another chance..." was all he could make out).

The pair continued onward, chatting as they climbed their way through the castle. Encountering the famed moving staircases was what his sensei would have called an 'interesting experience', and left him wondering how anyone could reliably navigate the castle's highly variable arrangement. Eventually, they came to a large statue of some sort of winged oni, to which Hagrid spoke the words "sugar quills". This caused the statue to stand up and step aside, revealing a doorway behind that led to an enclosed spiral staircase. Hagrid stepped onto the stairs and they began to twist and rise, which led Iruka to hop on a couple of steps below.

Soon, the two stepped off the rising stairs onto a landing before a large wooden door. Hagrid knocked (relatively) gently, eliciting an immediate response of "Come in, Hagrid" from within. After the large gamekeeper opened the door and stepped through, Iruka followed and got his first real look at the office of arguably the most powerful wizard in Britain.

The office of Hogwarts' Headmaster was spacious, though the numerous bookshelves and tables throughout the circular room diminished the feeling of space somewhat (as did standing next to Hagrid). Light streamed in through numerous windows, and the air was full of soft whirring and puffing sounds made by the strange silver mechanisms that littered every flat surface not already covered in books, each active in its own unknown task. Further up, the walls were largely hidden by numerous portraits of aged wizards and witches, their occupants mostly either sleeping or feigning sleep. A large fireplace yawned on one wall, though in deference to the weather it was currently empty, and a set of stairs near the far wall led up to a small landing and another door. Beside the stairs and in front of one of the windows was a tall perch, on which sat the largest non-summoned bird Iruka had ever seen, with resplendent red and orange plumage (he assumed that this was Dumbledore's famous phoenix). Also nearby and standing out in the office full of bright colors and gleaming metal was a very worn and tattered old conical hat sitting on a shelf. Iruka took all of this in with his first glance, before focusing his attention on the heavy claw-footed desk in front of the stairs, and the man between it and the throne-like chair behind it.

Albus Dumbledore was tall and thin, easily at least six or eight centimeters taller than Iruka, and his tall pointy hat only enhanced the impression of height. His hair and beard were both completely white and both over half a meter long, and his sky-blue eyes twinkled from behind half-moon spectacles. His robes and hat were of a bold maroon, embroidered in golden thread with runes from various languages, which tended to move around on the fabric when watched.

"Ah, Mister Umino," the Headmaster greeted warmly, "welcome to Hogwarts." He turned briefly to the gamekeeper "Thank you, Hagrid, you may go." The large man nodded at the dismissal and left, closing the door behind him, as Dumbledore beckoned Iruka forward. "Please," he said, conjuring a plush, overstuffed violet armchair with a casual wave of his wand, "have a seat."

As Iruka walked over to the chair, he couldn't shake the feeling of eyes on his back. A quick check using reflective surfaces didn't show anyone else in the office, and none of the portraits were showing open interest, but the feeling persisted, leaving the veteran shinobi slightly on edge. When seating himself, he made sure to jostle the armchair slightly to better position himself in case the unknown observer attacked. Still, he continued to hide his wariness, masking it somewhat with his genuine uncertainty of whether he and the Headmaster could reach an accommodation.

Dumbledore sat as well. "I understand that you have been working with Pandora Lovegood in her research, but have reached an impasse. May I ask how you believe Hogwarts might help?"

"Information, mostly; I still know very little about the magic used here in Britain, and while Mrs. Lovegood is certainly knowledgeable she can't know everything. In short, we've reached the limits of what we can do with the knowledge and references we have, and Hogwarts' Library is regarded as one of the finest magical libraries in the world. While it's hardly likely to have an immediate way to get me home, there may very well be information that could prove key to completing our research. Of course, ideally I would also want to be able to consult with members of the faculty, including yourself, as many are recognized as experts in various fields and might have invaluable insights."

"That is what I had assumed, but it's always best to be clear on such things. Hogwarts has hosted guests from time to time - foreign students, guest lecturers, visiting scholars - but another possibility suggested itself to me since I received your first owl. These 'seals' you draw are quite unique, and should you manage to return to your homeland, we could well be left with another magical skill effectively lost to history. There is, however, a potential solution to this." Here the twinkling of the Headmaster's eyes grew more pronounced. "You have previously given your profession as 'teacher'; would you consider teaching some of our students how to make seals?"

Iruka was left dumbfounded. Of all the ways he had pictured this meeting going, _none_ of them included it turning into a job interview. "I... I would need to know under what terms and conditions I would be teaching such a class, and of course would want some time to think about it."

"Of course, of course!" Dumbledore beamed, "It is several weeks, at least, before any final decision need be made. I suspect it will help, however, if you understand more about how things are done here at Hogwarts and what such a position would entail..."

Over the course of the next hour and a half, Iruka and the Headmaster discussed class sizes and schedules, student ages, faculty salaries and accommodations, requirements for a suitable classroom and supplies, logistical minutiae, and even a bit about fuuinjutsu and Pandora's research. It was a hopeful and mostly-convinced Iruka that was led back out of the castle by Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, a stern professional that the chuunin found himself immediately respecting.

**-――――===ͽ  ͼ===――――-**

Once the wards indicated that his guest had passed beyond the gargoyle, Albus turned to the side and addressed a patch of empty air. "So, old friend, what are your thoughts on our potential Professor Umino?"

The air shimmered as Alastor Moody removed the invisibility cloak he'd been standing under. "My first thought is that I'm gettin' too old to be standing around for hours on end trying to hide. Trying and _failing_ , I might add."

"You believe he spotted you somehow?"

"Not spotted, no, he never looked right at me, but even before he sat down he knew the two of you weren't alone. He shifted the chair a bit as he sat, made sure he had room to move and fight if I turned out to be somethin' unfriendly. Never let his guard down the entire time until the door shut behind him. And that ain't the only odd thing, either."

"Soon as the man stepped in the room, he was scanning it with his eyes, lookin' for threats, entrances, exits, cover... I know the look, but he did it as fast and automatic as somebody like me, or Scrimgeour - somebody that's been in the fires for decades. He was armed, too, and I don't just mean his wand. Had a couple of knives on him, strange ones, like this." Alastor transfigured a scrap of parchment into a short knife: Its blade was broad and triangular, with a thick diamond cross-section and a short ricasso tapering down to a cloth-wrapped cylindrical handle that terminated in a large ring-shaped pommel. The hilt wrappings were charcoal grey, and the entire rest of the weapon had a matte black finish. Overall, the weapon was just short of a foot in length and perhaps two inches at its widest point. It was like no weapon Albus had ever seen: Simple, plain, and utilitarian, it was clearly not a weapon made to be seen (in fact, it seemed specifically intended to remain _un_ seen), but rather a weapon made to be _used_.

"Hidden weapons, vigilance on _my_ level, even the way he moved - the man is a fighter, Albus. Probably has been most of his life. Plenty of scars to show for it - looks like he's found himself at the wrong end of a blade quite a few times. Still fighting fit, too, not out of shape like most wizards."

Albus frowned thoughtfully. "Mysteries upon mysteries - there is clearly more to Mister Umino than meets the eye. The critical question is: Can he be trusted?"

"You know I'm not the best one to answer that, Albus. Trust doesn't come easy for me, after everything, but while Umino clearly knows how to handle himself in a fight, doesn't mean he means you or the school any harm. 'Course, if he does mean ill, I'm not rightly sure what he'd do - seems he knows lots about fightin' but not much about magic."

Albus nodded. "Indeed, indeed. His efforts are credited with saving Pandora Lovegood's life when she was injured, but from what my sources gather he did so without using any magic; he used pressure to help slow the bleeding from many of her wounds, and actually sewed several of them shut with thread! I'm told a couple of Healers are quietly investigating the technique for use on wounds that resist magical treatment. Still, even if Mister Umino were to learn a great deal about magic, his ability to use it against others would be somewhat limited by his power level."

"You're aware, I'm sure, that a wizard's magical strength grows throughout most of their life, though this growth slows considerably around age twenty?" At Alastor's nod, he continued. "One of the skills I have developed over the years is the ability to sense the general strength of a person's magic, and Mister Umino's would compare unfavorably with that of quite a few of the graduates and upper-year students I saw off yesterday morning. It may well be that his people generally lack both magical strength and knowledge, leaving them to rely predominantly upon more mundane methods; these 'seals' may in fact be some of the only magic his people can perform."

"Whatever he can or can't do," Alastor stated, "he didn't show any signs I could see of bein' dishonest. Hid stuff, sure, but that's just sense when you don't know if you can trust somebody. My advice is let him have the job, but keep an eye on him - what he reads, who he talks to, where he goes. He's probably no trouble, but 'probably' ain't enough. Constant vigilance!" His mind spoken, Alastor nodded and stomped off to the fireplace to Floo home, leaving Albus to his thoughts.

Those thoughts largely mirrored Alastor's assessment. He had noticed the slight wariness in Mister Umino, and had suspected that he might be more than he appeared. A feather-light touch of passive Legilimency had shown the presence of at least rudimentary Occlumency shields, a surprising skill for one supposedly so new to magic, but he was certain he had avoided detection. Still, the fact that the man carried _knives_ concealed on his person was something of a shock; a simple utility knife or potions knife would have been normal, but another look at Alastor's transfigured blade reaffirmed the fact that these were clearly _weapons_ , not mere tools, and their harshly functional design added to the other signs to indicate that Mr. Umino was well-versed in their usage.

Taken all together, the portrait this information painted was clearly incomplete. There was surely something, some fact about the man and his background that would be key in unraveling the mystery that was Iruka Umino. Still, neither he nor Alastor had detected any hints of malice in his visitor. Albus decided that he would give Mr. Umino a chance to prove himself, as Professor Umino, and continue to observe in search of that critical clue. Added to everything else, September would likely mark the start of the most interesting year at Hogwarts in some time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus ends Book 0. Next up is Book 1: Umino Iruka and the School of Magic! I'm sure it comes as a surprise to exactly none of you that Iruka is ending up as a teacher at Hogwarts just in time for Harry's first year. The overarching plot of Book 1 won't deviate too much from that of Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone, but I intend for changes to gradually accumulate. Successive books will get progressively more divergent from canon, to the point where my current plans for Book 3 have it quickly going off the rails entirely, and Book 4 more paralleling the rails with the occasional intersection. After that, well...
> 
> There's something I tried to do in this chapter, a slight trick with the writing style. Imaginary cookies to anyone that successfully spots it, and I'll explain next chapter.
> 
> Something that hit me shortly after posting Chapter 9, while working on Chapter 36: There are some things that have become so deeply ingrained in fanon that I can no longer find the canonical underpinnings (if any). Two things in particular I see constantly in fanfics, to the point where they seem like they're canonical, but I cannot for the life of me find any hint as to their source. If anybody knows where in the canon it's mentioned that there are fictional children's books about Harry's life, and/or what is used as evidence that Dumbledore is absolutely and totally against lethal force, please let me know! I'm assuming any reference to the former would be somewhere in Chamber of Secrets, but I've already reread the section at the Burrow with no results, so ideally I'd ask that responses are more specific than "in book X".


End file.
